Reservations
by NothingNooneZero
Summary: The Fates were kind but oh so cruel. Life? Life was but its slave. She woke up; a surprise in and of itself, and has the chance to change everything. Carter has knowledge and knowledge is power and power, no matter how small and insignificant, is always sought after.
1. Chapter 1

Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, someone would have helped a brother out and slapped some sense into Jacob Black before his obsession with Isabella reached the level of, what I've aptly named, Code Edward.

* * *

She called herself Carter; she liked the name and there was no point in keeping the one she currently had because she didn't exist, well, not here anyway. She had woken up dazed and confused with absolutely no memory of how she ended up by the side of the road or why she was, judging by the clothes, her hands and feet, twelve again. _I've really done it this time_ she thought to herself. She stood up and flexed her limbs experimentally and took a few steps forward. She stumbled, fell then righted herself and continued to walk.

It had been hours, for sure, as rays of light shone from the west. She almost couldn't contain her happiness as she came upon a 'Welcome' sign, making her way to the little town. She would ask someone where she was, ask them what day, what month, what year and then she would make a plan. She nodded to herself as she smiled, a sunny 'Hello, how are you?' being directed to the inhabitants of the town.

''

Charles Swan cautiously entered the building, gun raised and shining his torch around the area. The steel door rebounded off the concrete wall, the sound of the metal rebounding off the surfaces, echoing down the narrow corridor. He turned to his left, his right and briefly above him and continued forward. It was eerily silent but he could hear faint noises emanating from somewhere down the hall.

He approached a door; it lead to yet another dilapidated corridor and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he noticed the splashes of a deep, dark crimson sporadically coating the panels of glass to his right. Reluctantly he raised his foot and kicked in the door, his face going immediately to his sleeve as he tried his best to prevent the smell from reaching his nose. He shone the torch; illuminating pieces of what had been human beings, human beings of all ages and gender. He almost retched. The sight before him was one of absolute horror. He had to keep moving though; there were reports of a missing chi-

"Shit." He ran as a scream pervaded the air, a bone-chilling scream of terror coming from the opposite end of the hall.

He backtracked out of the room and bolted towards a flight of stairs. A cry of protest drifted its way up the stairwell. Taking two at a time, he ran down the stairs as fast and as hard as his legs would allow before slamming the door open, shouldering it as he made his way into the basement. He could hear sniffling and shone his light towards the direction it came from and his heart lurched as he took in the sight.

A girl, the twelve year old girl that witnesses claimed had been abducted, stood before him. Her small hand was clutching a knife and she was shaking; blood splatter on her face, cuts on her arms, clothing torn. She trembled from head to toe and when the police chief identified himself as a good guy, as someone who would not hurt her and as a police officer, the girl dropped the knife and collapsed into a sobbing heap. Charles ran forward and caught the girl; cradling her to his chest as he called another unit to the scene and an ambulance.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." The girl repeated. Her tears had stopped but she seemed to be in a shock.

"You're safe now, darling. It's alright; everything is going to be alright."

"He killed them! He killed them all! I'm sorry!"

"I know, darling, I know. He can't hurt anyone else though, okay? It's alright. You're alright."

''

"Hey, Charlie! If you want dinner you better open up and let me in Officer!"

Charles walked to his door shaking his head at the girls' antics.

"You've got a key Carter, use the damn thing!"

"That's easy for you to say, old man. I've got how many bags of groceries in my hand? I'm carrying around a tonne!"

He opened the door and went to grab some of the bags from her hands but she just walked straight on by and into the kitchen.

"What did you feel like tonight Chief?"

"Anything you'd like Carter. Billy called by the way; said you wanted to speak to him so I invited him over. Is that alright?"

"It's fine Chief. Honestly, you make it sound like this is my house sometimes. Besides, I want you to know what's going on."

''

Billy Black sat in his wheelchair, a grim expression on his face.

"They will cause the boys to shift. We didn't factor that in." This was troubling news; troubling news indeed. He hadn't even thought about the repercussions of allowing the Vampire Coven to return to their house in the forests of Forks. His Tribe was his priority, after his son of course, and now he had potentially endangered both. He looked back to Carter as she began to speak again.

"Your son will shift eventually Billy, but that won't happen for another two years. Sam Uley will be the only Shifter for now."

"The Uley boy? Really?"

"I would like to be there for him. I request permission from the Council to assist with Sam Uley's transformation. I already know the man; I'm already friends with him. Please? He'll have no one, not one person, who he can speak to about it and I already know the details of what he will be going through."

"I'll tell the Elders that you will be there to assist Uley. They may question my decision but they will respect it. You've grown up with most of these boys. You have my permission." He looked to her, lips quirking into a smile. "You wouldn't have listened to me or the Elder's either way though, would you Carter?"

"I was brought up not to lie Billy; of course I would have found a loophole to exploit." She answered with a proud grin.

"What about the Cullen's?" Charlie asked. "What have you seen about them?"

"Well, they'll keep to the terms of the treaty. Carlisle really is a good, uh, person. He'll keep his Coven in line."

Billy Black didn't doubt the will of Carlisle Cullen. No, it was those that followed him that made the man wary. Despite his doubts, he would trust the word of Carter; she'd not steered them wrong in the past; had given no reason for anyone to doubt her trust.

"I guess all we can do is hope that his Coven respects him enough to abide by the treaty."

''

"Charlie, please, will you calm down? They won't, under any circumstances eat a civilian on their first day. They would have hunted in advance; quite possibly this morning. Now, what I need you to do is to remember not to think about anything supernatural and if you slip up, follow the thought up by an image of the Winchester brothers, okay?"

"Such a bossy one you are. Alright kid, I hear you loud and clear."

"I can walk back today then?"

"Nice try. No. No way. I'll be waiting for you out here, right on the dot. Don't get into too much trouble today." He playfully warned as he pulled into the school's parking lot, edging his way into the drop-off zone.

"Of course I'll behave. I'll keep the fires to a minimum and I'll only send three kids to the hospital. Hw's that sound?"

"Better than usual, actually."

"Don't worry so much, I won't get caught!" She shouted to him, waving as she turned to walk up the stairs.

It wasn't too long before the bell rang and people were headed to their roll-call classes. She took her usual seat: a spot at the back of the classroom, closest to the window and began spreading her various notebooks and stationary her own desk and the one beside her.

"Okay, okay. Settle down you lot. I know, I know. You'd have heard all about the new arrivals and they're finally here. Without further ado, I welcome Jasper Hale."

The room went silent; girls gasping in awe of the blonde, boys rolling their eyes and sending glares in his direction. Carter just tilted her head to the side as she usually did, portraying a sense of interest as she turned her attention back to her books, listening to the brief introduction.

"My name is Japer Hale. I am the nephew of Esme Cullen. I have a twin sister named Rosalie. We have moved here from Alaska. Thank you."

"Yes, thank you Jasper. Would you mind answering a few questions for the class?"

"I'd much rather sit down if that is acceptable."

"Alright then. Just find an empty seat."

Jasper was rather confused. At the moment, he could sense, faintly, the emotions of the people in the room; could smell faintly the different scents that were swirling around the room but as he continued to make his way up the aisle, his keen senses were becoming overwhelmed by the smell of fresh air. It was a scent that smelled oddly of the mountain ranges he had lived in before and it was most welcome.

"Hello Jasper, it's nice to meet you. I'm Carter. I truly do hope that your time here in Forks will serve you well."

"It's nice to meet you too Carter." He wasn't sure what to say to her. More than that, he couldn't _feel_ what to say to her. His power often tipped him off as to how to behave with someone and what words to say. This was odd.

"You don't have to sit here you know? There's a spare seat over there and another at the front."

"Excuse me?"

"You look uncomfortable. Word gets around quickly here so I can only assume that you've already been warned about big, bad Killer Carter." The boy looked perplexed. "You haven't? Well this is awkward."

"No talking Carter! This isn't a speed dating event."

"Not like anyone would date her!"

"Yeah, her idea of a date would leave you wanting to kill yourself."

"If she hasn't already done that for you!"

There was laughter around the classroom as the teacher tried to settle them down and focus on the lessons. Jasper watched the girl form the corner of his eyes and was surprised to see that the girl looked genuinely unaffected by the words that had been said. This must have happened often, he thought, and with some concentration he was able to filter past the serene feeling of nothingness and get a read of the room. Directed towards the girl was an astounding amount of fear mixed with loathing and disgust. The fear was the one that really got him though. What did this mere human do?

''

"How was your first day?"

"I've met all the Cullen children if that's what you were implying."

"Find out anything interesting?"

"No. Not really. Carlisle was right though; the Talented Trio are unable to use their powers on me and my scent is not an issue. Billy told me what the Doc had said the other day."

"The, uh, man is amazing, I'll give him that; saving lives for centuries and the control he has over his primal instincts."

"It is incredible, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is."

"How was work?"

"So-so. Bella said she'd call tonight."

"You've still got some left-overs right?"

"You know, you don't have to avoid the house while I talk with Bella right?"

"Yes I do! I feel like a, a, I don't know but I won't intrude."

"You're staying up at the Rez aren't you?"

"Yep."

"Are those three hellions treating you alright?" He asked, thinking about Embry, Quil Jr and Jacob, famously known as 'The Troublesome Trio'.

"Of course they are; they love their big sister." She hesitated before she spoke again. "I won't be at Billy's the entire time; Sam's shown signs of shifting."

Charlie nodded his head. He'd have asked why she felt the need to place herself in danger but he knew the girl was just one of those oddly compassionate beings.

"Okay. Be careful though, alright?"

''

Sam was freaking the absolute fuck out right now. He was a wolf; an actual wolf. What the hell was this?! He looked down at his paws in wonder, took in his surroundings and was amazed at the clarity, the detail that he could see things in. His senses were overwhelmed and he almost ran but then he heard it: leaves and twigs being crushed under the weight of footsteps. That was when he saw Carter. Had she not have spoken when she did, he would have been gone like a bat out of hell.

His nose twitched, zeroing in on the girl. She smelt like the forest; a very earthy and natural scent was emanating from her form. He slowly backed up, one paw at a time, readying himself to bolt.

"Sam, are you feeling alright?" He went to answer, frightening himself when a succession of barks erupted from him. He yelped, startled by the fact that this might just be real. "Sam, I know this is going to sound stupid but I need you to try and calm yourself down." She was met with a long, low whine. "You're a wolf. The Tribal Legends are true." Another low whine answered her statement. "You can come closer Sam. You aren't going to hurt me." She sat down on the ground and held a hand out, beckoning him to come to her. Seeing the soft smile on her face, Sam made his way over. He was slow to approach her, taking time to adjust to this new body, not wanting to accidently step on her. "I'm not too sure whether or not you can shift back right away. Would you like to try?" Sam nodded his head.

Carter stood slowly, not wanting to startle Sam. You can't be too careful, she thought to herself. She then shrugged off a small backpack and held it up. Sam's head cocked to the side in confusion.

"I picked up some of your clothes and a pair of shoes: You're going to need them."

Sam flushed. Had he have been human right now, he was sure he would be glowing a faint red. Of course, he thought, I can turn into a wolf but my clothes? They actually do disappear. Carter had turned her back to him by this point.

"You are definitely not going to be impressed with what I'm about to say but please, bear with me, alright? It's not as stupid as it sounds but I need you to visualise yourself as a human. Imagine the feeling in your fingers, in your toes; the wind upon your bare skin. Take in three deep breaths. It's going to hurt but I need you to persevere."

She heard Sam take in three breaths, letting them out in a huff and waited patiently. She hummed a tune as Sam attempted to become human once again. It took a while, a good hour and a half; most of that time Carter was by his side as he became literally half-man half-wolf. At one point Carter had actually been worried that Sam would remain a humanoid wolf-person and had been quite horrified by the odd sight before snapping out of it and coaching Sam through the shift.

"Decent?" Carter asked as Sam successfully shifted back.

"How?" He asked. "How did you know I'd shift? How did you know where to find me? How do you even know any of this?" She again motioned for Sam to sit by her as she answered his questions.

"Keep in mind that you have just shifted into a giant wolf okay?" He just looked at her, almost desperate to know. "I saw it happen. I had a, a dream, as ridiculous as that sounds. The Quileute Tribe obviously featured in it. There was some drama in Forks which had repercussions on the population here at the Rez. I saw you and some others shift; different times, different circumstances but you all held enough Quileute blood to transform into the wolves you're descendant from."

"You had a dream?"

"Yes. That, and the Elders have been keeping an eye on you. They've been informing me of your progression."

"Why couldn't you just tell me? Is that why you haven't been up here for a while?"

"Yes. The Elders thought it best that I refrain from visiting you before your transformation, no idea why though, and I wasn't going to walk up to you, tell you you're a Shifter and have you get angry."

"Angry? I turned into a wolf because I got angry?"

"It's a trigger. What were you…" She stopped herself from completing that sentence. "Would you like to talk about whatever happened before this?"

Sam shook his head. He'd rather just forget the whole argument between himself and Leah Clearwater, his long-time girlfriend.

The two sat in the forest for hours; Carter informing him why he changed, what he was able to do, what it meant for him and about trivial things didn't matter at all.

''

"Is everything alright?"

"Sure is Chief. Sam took it relatively well. The Elders are still going to watch him; make sure that he learns to control the urge to get angry for no reason whatsoever."

"I'm guessing you discussed the Cullen's. What have the Tribe said about you and your knowledge of them?"

"We're not letting them know that I know. The youngest looking of the vampires is a mind-reader. Unfortunately he can't switch off the ability so it would be too much of a burden for Carlisle to know and keep it a secret from his Coven."

Charlie nodded his head. He supposed that would be for the best then. Anyway, he didn't want those beings stalking about outside his house because they deemed Carter a threat.

"If I were to shoot one-"

"They'd be absolutely fine. They're sorta like Superman in that respect, being bullet-proof and all."

"How could I ki-"

"Fire."

Charlie nodded his head. He was going to call in a favour from an old, uh, acquaintance; yeah, that's it, an acquaintance.

"Are you sure you'll be fine with them around?"

"Positive. I've been sitting by Carlisle's 'eldest child' for a good month and a bit now. He's shown no signs of being tempted to snap a neck and take a sip."

Charlie shook his head this time, a slight grimace on his face.

"You really need to work on that Carter. The imagery is not something I ever needed."

"Sorry Charlie. I'll attempt to be more politically correct when it comes to describing how a vampire sinks their fangs into the jugular vein, draining a person of their colour and life." He rolled his eyes at her and swatted at her with a rolled up newspaper. "That's abuse! Charles Swan, how dare you do such a thing?" She clutched at her arm dramatically, standing up and feigning that she couldn't walk properly. "You've broken my arm, you have. Oh, I see a light! I see a light Charlie!"

"If you go towards it will you be quiet?" He asked, feigning a serious expression.

"Okay, okay, I'll be quiet. I'm more of a 'suffer in silence' type anyway. Can I stay here for the night?"

"No." He replied immediately before chuckling. "Of course you can."

"Brilliant. I'll start dinner in ten." Charlie just waved her off before clearing off the table and putting his policing equipment away.

He waited until he heard water running before he picked up his phone.

"It's Charles Swan here. I'm going to cash in one of those favours."

''

"So how are you and your family settling in?" Carter asked the Southern vampire.

"Very well thank you. We appreciated the gift basket very much."

"Did you really? It was all home-made. I get a little 'Mater Chef' every now and again."

"The food was wonderful."

She beamed up at Jasper, knowing that the boy was lying through his teeth but then he smiled, a small smile but a smile nonetheless, that was genuine and she couldn't help but return it.

"My family and I were wondering if you'd join us for lunch today. You've been kind to us; more so than anybody has, and we'd wish to thank you."

"What a sad world we live in, where you thank someone for displaying humanity. It's ironic, don't you think, that a species as evolved as ours is unable to show others the respect they deserve. Animals, well those lower on the food chain, exhibit more respect towards each other than many of our fellow peers. You though, you are definitely one of the most humane beings that I've had the fortune of meeting since my arrival in this town. If that's anything to go by, I'm sure your family is just as wonderful as you."

Jasper wasn't really sure how to react to that. The human was smiling warmly at him. He'd been watching her closely since the day he first sat next to her and during every class they shared since then.

"Would you join me and my family then Miss Carter?" He noted the hesitance but put it down to nerves. "We don't bite, if that's what you're afraid of." He said, smirking inwardly at his own little joke. He was surprised though, when she, too, laughed at what he had said and he couldn't help but be a little suspicious of the action.

"It's not that Mr Hale; it's simply that I don't want you and your family to be ostracised by the school population. I've a bit of reputation which you must have heard of by now."

"Yes, I have."

"Good or this would have been another awkward moment." She laughed, and Jasper quietly chuckled along with her as she reused the words she had when they'd first met. Jasper, ever the gentleman, held his arm out and Carter just stared at him blankly.

"May I escort you to our table, my Lady?" She hooked her arm through Jasper's.

"You most certainly may, Mr Hale." The two made their way to what had been dubbed 'The Cullen Table'; both were smirking at the whispers that followed behind them as they passed groups of students.

"So we finally meet Killer Carter. Heard what you did and I gotta say it's rather impressive for such a small girl. Ouch, what was that for?" Jasper's arm had swung out and hit Emmett in the shoulder.

"It's alright Jasper. Hello Emmett. I am Carter. How are you today?" She said slowly, as if talking to a child who was hard of hearing. "Can you understand me or should I speak slower?" She nodded her head, a look of mock pity upon her face as she addressed the giant teen. It was silent for a moment before Emmett's booming laughter all but shook the cafeteria; everyone's eyes immediately looking towards the Cullen's table in surprise.

"We are keeping her. We are definitely keeping her." Emmett managed to say through the laughter. Carter, after raising an eyebrow at Emmett, turned to give the blonde woman her attention.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Carter."

"Rosalie Hale." The model blonde simply replied.

"Hey, Edward! Alice! You've got to meet Carter." Emmett called out as the last two Cullen's arrived. "She's a riot." The two vampires stopped beside the table and looked to Carter who had just turned around.

"I'm Carter. It's nice to meet you both." She extended her hand and waited for either one of them to shake. "Jasper speaks only good things of you." Alice hesitantly shook her hand, as did Edward and both were amazed when she didn't flinch as their skin made contact. Edward stared at his hand for a moment.

"Did you want a wipe?" Carter asked him.

"Pardon?"

"Here." She fished around in her messenger back and pulled out a packet of anti-sceptic wipes. "You were looking at your hands as if I just spat on them."

"Keeping her." Emmett stage-whispered to Rosalie who shook her head and replied with a quiet 'I suppose we will'.

Edward looked flustered; well as flustered as a vampire could look as he tried to explain that that wasn't the reason he was looking at his hand oddly.

"That's not what I-"

"It's fine, honestly. I've had worse reactions, believe it or not."

"This I have got to hear." Emmett piped up again. Carter just shook her head and told him he'd have to wait to hear about that.

Alice had been clutching onto Jaspers' hand for all she was worth during the entire time that Carter was present. They'd had a family meeting and were all informed that Carter was different. Carlisle told them that she had come in for a check-up at the hospital two days before and the doctor had tested some of her blood, telling her it was just a new protocol. He'd told them he found an anomaly within her blood cells which may have caused her to be immune to the mental abilities Alice, Edward and Jasper possessed; it also explained her scent.

This did not sit well for Alice. She needed to know the future; needed to know everything that would come to pass about everybody they met. Carlisle declared that she wasn't a threat but Alice would keep an eye on her. She didn't trust the girl as far as she could see the girls' future: not at all.

Carter chatted briefly with the Cullen's; mundane topics like favourite subjects, favourite teachers, the differences between living in Alaska and living in Washington.

"Well, it has been an absolute pleasure to have finally met you all. I hope that the town of Forks has been treating you all with the respect you deserve. Enjoy the rest of today; I've got to head to the library. See you in class Jasper." She shot them a quick salute before walking off.

They immediately began talking at vampiric speeds when they heard laughter. They all turned their heads to the source. Standing by the entrance into the cafeteria was Carter: clothes now stained and soaked through.

"Oh my God Carter, I didn't see you there! I've totally just _killed_ your outfit." The senior girl said, laughing along with her friends as they stood up to hi-five her.

"It's alright. No harm, no foul right? This'll be easy to fix. If I can get blood out of my clothes I'm sure this will prove to be no problem whatsoever." She said, walking into the corridor, figure retreating at a normal pace.

Stacy had paled after Carter said the word blood, as if remembering exactly who she had spoken to.

"You don't scare me Carter! I've got witnesses here! You can't do anything to me." Stacy had gone to take a few steps forward. She had forgotten about the mess on the floor though, so she didn't get very far, slipping on the coloured sports drink and food stuffs from her tray, she hit her head on the table and landed awkwardly on her right arm.

The surrounding girls ran to her side, helping her back up as she cried out indignantly, blaming Carter for her accident despite the girl being out of view. Hearing a further commotion, Carter backtracked, peeking around the corner, and assessing the situation , decided to have a bit more fun.

"Have a nice day Stacy!" She shouted and, much to her amusement some of the girls actually screamed in fright.

Emmett was having trouble controlling his laughter and, because of this, Jasper looked as if he were ready to burst. Rosalie had her lip upturned in disgust directed towards the group of preppy seniors.

"She tried to kill me! Look what she did!" The teen wailed, clutching her arm desperately.

The Cullen's soon tuned out the annoying sounds of the girls' high-pitched whining and went back to their conversation.

"Wait." Emmett said. "Where's Edward?"

''

"Hey, are you okay? I saw what happened back there. Do you need any help?" Edward said as he caught up to Carter just before she entered the library.

"Thank you for asking but I'm perfectly fine. A little food and juice never hurt anybody too badly."

"I wanted to apologise for before, for staring at my hand. It wasn't because I shook your hand or anything I just-"

"It's okay Edward. I was only messing with you. You still have quite a bit of time before class. You should go finish your food. I'll see you around."

Edward went to raise his hand in a gesture to stop the girl from leaving but she was gone. Edward looked towards his hand again and closed his eyes. Emmett would forever taunt him with this. There was no doubt about that.

''

"What happened to you?" Was the first thing Charlie said to her when she returned home that afternoon.

"An accident in the cafeteria. No worries though, I can get the stains out."

"You didn't tell a teacher did you?" When she confirmed his suspicions Charlie just looked at her. "Carter, you can't allow people to treat you like this. This is ridiculous. I'm ringing up the school." Charlie went to dial in the number when Carter tried to snatch the phone away from him. "Stop it. Carter, stop being silly, this is a serious matter."

"Please Charlie? Don't make a big deal out of it. I'm fine, I'm not hurt and the person responsible ended up spraining their arm after they slipped over the mess they made. Karma dealt out justice and I am confident that the person won't go near me again."

"Car-"

"Please?"

He let out a sigh before pressing the little red button on the phone and putting the handset down.

"Now I've got to go to La Push in twenty minutes time so I'll whip something up for you to eat and I'll see you Thursday. Bye Charlie. Be careful out there." She hugged the man and he returned the affectionate gesture before grabbing his police coat and walking out of the house.

"You be careful too Carter and I don't want to hear about any other accidents this year, alright?"

"Sure Charlie. No more accidents."

''

 **Authors note:** This is a complete rewrite of the story I previously had up, by the same title. The original was a much more humourous sort of story but I wrote an alternate version (this one) and liked it better. I hope you've enjoyed it.


	2. Chapter 2

Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, I would have made it from the Shifter's perspective rather than the Vampire's if you get what I mean.

 **NOTE:** I apologise for any confusion in regards to the first chapter of this story. After the second break ( '' ), the story does skip time and Carter is 16. This chapter she is 17. Now, on with the story. Oh, and I haven't really imagined Carter in too much detail. The basics are as follows: she's 5" tall (good old shorties), has olive skin (much like the Quileutes) and has long, black hair. Yeah, yeah, I know, completely generic but I'm not all that great on describing people.

* * *

It had been a year and a half before Paul Lahote shifted into a giant wolf, but Sam was ready for it. He replayed the memory of Carter assisting him in calming down and shifting back into a human, along with his own experiences and how he was able to shift back now.

"You saw my memories. That's about all there is to say. "

Sam had been worried about this one. Not only was Paul the first person he had to help, the boy was notorious amongst the residents of La Push as being a hot-headed, troubled teen. Anger was the trigger for shifting and Sam thought he'd have his work cut out for him with this one. Instead Paul sat beside him in the kitchen of his house, perfectly calm. There had only been a brief moment where the young man may have been surprised but he accepted what had happened almost immediately.

"Where is she?" Paul asked. He'd been fixated on the image of a girl beckoning the Alpha wolf to join her where she sat. There was something about her; he was eager to meet her.

"Who?"

"The one who helped you, where is she?"

"Carter?" Sam watched Paul, noticing a look in the young man's eyes. This was odd. He'd ask the Elders about this after they spoke to Paul. "She lives down in Forks with Chief Swan; they aren't related. She's my honorary little sister." He said, pride shining through as he said it.

"She helped you with your transformation but she isn't a Quileute, so not a Shifter. Why was she here?"

"You'll find out in a little while; the Elders will explain."

After the meeting with the Elders, Paul waited for Sam to arrive by the tree line of the forests down by First Beach. He almost phased when he laid eyes upon the Alpha's form.

"You put her in danger? You almost killed your 'honorary little sister'?"

Sam could understand why Paul was acting this way. The first few days after transforming made a person irritable and quick to anger. Finding out that the Alpha of your pack, the man you have to obey, very nearly took the life of an innocent was going to get most of the upcoming pack angry.

"You were told that story as a constant reminder that we, as Shifter's, must remain in control of ourselves at all times." He looked guilty as fuck at the moment and Paul stopped his form from trembling. "I didn't mean for any of that to happen. The Elders banned her from seeing me or any other Shifter."

" _Sam! Calm down right now!" Carter yelled at him. They were at his house and Emily had been invited over. He had broken things off with Leah soon after he shifted, and though Leah's heart was broken, the situation between the two was infinitely better than the one Carter had read about in the original Twilight Saga books. "Get your arse out here now! Emily, be a dear and wait inside please."_

" _Sam you can't just expect me to say 'yes' to you! I will not hurt my cousin that way. We can't be together." Emily shouted, heading straight for Sam._

 _Carter looked to Emily and ran back towards her, tackling the woman to the ground as Sam shifted into his wolf form. She felt a light scratch against her skin as she landed with an 'oomph'. Emily screamed then, seeing Sam in his wolf form and scrambled to her feet, about to run back into the house before she let out another scream as she caught sight of Carter's back. Three rather prominent lines of red streaked the girls' back. They weren't bleeding profusely or anything but the shock of seeing the wound had Emily in near hysterics._

" _Emily, get in the house now. Wait in there. We'll join you in a minute. If you wouldn't mind, there's some flour and chocolate in the cabinet, could you bake a cake? I feel like chocolate." Emily stumbled her way to the back door, a hand over her mouth as retreated from the giant wolf, leaving Carter to deal with the animal._

" _Now you listen here Sam. What the hell did I say? I said 'Don't do it', didn't I? You went ahead and did it anyway!" Sam had slowly approached her, nudging her around and he let out a low, apologetic whine before howling. It looked pretty bad from his point of view. He'd just attacked his little sister. What kind of a monster was he? "Don't you even dare think about running off Samuel Uley."_

 _He was on the ground now, rolling over and exposing his stomach; a clearly submissive gesture, trying to placate her, his conscience and his wolfs' distress at harming a Pack member._

" _You're going to calm down, shift back, help me clean up and then we're going to sit and have a civilised chat with Emily. Understand? You better."_

Sam shivered at the thought of how that day could have ended; namely in the death of not only his little sister, but his imprint as well.

"Will she be allowed back to Rez after we've all shifted?"

"Why are you so interested in her?" Sam asked. It was one thing to be curious but the look in Paul's eyes was still there; the one that Sam couldn't rightly describe. He'd almost say that he looked as if he might have…No way, Sam thought, no. He hadn't even met her. There was no possible way that….His train of thought was derailed as Paul answered him.

"She helped you, helped the Elders, yet she was banished from our lands. It's odd, isn't it?"

Of course it was odd. Sam had told the Elders that using the incident of Carter almost getting killed was flimsy at best. He'd argued with them for a good couple of hours until he was finally given the real reason as to why most of the Elders wanted the girl to stay away: Imprinting.

After Sam imprinted on Emily, it became a very real possibility that the rest of the upcoming pack members might also imprint. Carter herself had stated that they'd all find their own 'Happily Ever After' which posed a bit of problem in the eyes of the Elders. Carter had grown up alongside Sam, Jacob, Quil Jr and Embry: all of whom were listed as Shifters. The problem that the Elders saw was quite simple: they didn't want to run the risk of anyone imprinting on Carter. She may have been like family to some of them but she was still an outsider. More than that though, she ran with vampires and despite Billy Black's constant assurances, they just couldn't risk the Tribe any more than they had already.

"What aren't you telling me?" Paul asked.

"Nothing, Paul. We need to figure out a patrol schedule. We'll alternate with days and nights depending on what we've got. You finished school the year before last, correct?"

"I've been doing construction work; I'm a qualified carpenter."

"Would nights be a problem for you?"

"No."

"Okay then. I'll teach you the ropes this week; give you a test run the week after." Sam prattled on about the general rules of secrecy, their roles, and the expectations of them as protectors. This was going to be interesting.

''

Carter had just opened the door when she heard an unfamiliar voice.

"-angers."

"That's a good idea; a very good idea. Have you spoken to Sam?"

"Not yet Sir, I wanted to run this by you first. The Elders always speak highly of you and you are the Chief of Police."

"If you can get Sam on board and get permission from the Elders then I'll gladly assist. I'd recommend doing a…Carter, how was your day sweetie?" Charlie asked, completely aware that he just cut off a conversation with a 'werewolf'.

"It was good Charlie. I just helped Granny Tilly run the shop for today." She looked over at Paul who had now stood up and was looking at her intensely. "You must be Paul Lahote." She said with a smile, extending her hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to in all honestly." She waited, hand out, as Paul just stood there looking at her. She tilted her head to the side and gave him an odd look, hoping that this was not happening and that Paul just had a problem or was currently having an absent seizure of some sort; not that she'd rather him have a fit, it was almost a preferable option to the only other possibility.

Charlie's eyes narrowed at Paul, who was still just standing there staring at Carter. He looked to Carter; silently asking her what the hell was going on before clearing his throat, effectively breaking Paul from his trance.

"The pleasure's all mine, Carter." He said, hand lingering in hers before he withdrew and took a step back.

"Would you like something to eat or drink? Charlie?"

"You'll make something anyway Carter. Go on." Charlie watched as Paul's eyes followed Carter, his head tilting as he followed her movements upstairs with his sensitive hearing. Charlie cleared his throat again. "Well, should we draft up a plan? I see no reason for anyone to disagree."

"Yes Sir."

Charlie and Paul devised schedules for the off days for himself, Sam and those that would be joining them soon. Paul had proposed that the Reservation, in conjunction with the Forks Police Department (FPD), set up a Forest Ranger's Station in La Push, complete with a recognised force of personnel who would scout the borders of La Push and Forks and generally act as a subdivision of the FPD.

"Okay, break time you two. What are you doing anyway?" She asked, a plate of food in each hand which she offered the men. "Oh, very nice. That's a cunningly little operation you've planned there; it'll be perfect." Carter said, briefly scanning the papers on the table top. "Did you want to eat here in the lounge room?" Charlie thanked her, taking the plate from her hands and made his way to the coffee table in the living room. "The lounge room it is." Paul covered her hands with his as he went to collect his plate, sending her a smile of appreciation, along with a husky 'thanks' as he followed Carter into the living room.

"When are you going to tell Sam?" Paul had hardly kept his eyes from her form but upon hearing that question, he did raise an eyebrow. "Sam would be here otherwise." She said in ways of an explanation. He swallowed a mouthful of food before answering.

"I was going to wait until Monday afternoon."

"Why is that?" Carter enquired. He looked to Carter and then to Charlie before a sheepish expression crossed his face.

"I'm not supposed to be here, at all. Sam is going to make me do a triple shift." He ducked his head, looking up at Carter before he continued. "I wanted to meet you."

Carter almost let an 'Awwwwwwww' but restrained herself. The young man was acting absolutely adorable at the moment. Wait, not supposed to be here?

"Did Sam ban you from meeting me or was it the Elders?"

"The Elders, though Sam advised against it as well."

"Why aren't they allowing you to help with the new shifters?" Charlie asked.

"Safety and all that, Charlie; nothing too important." He just looked at her, clearly not believing a word she was saying. He'd be calling Billy on Monday.

When the food had been eaten Carter went to collect the plates.

"Let me help you with them." He said, picking up his plate, along with all three glasses that had been used.

"No, you're the guest. I've got this, haven't I Charlie?" Charlie just shrugged his shoulders, again watching the young man with suspicion. _I wanted to meet you_ echoed in Charlie's mind and he knew he'd be having a long chat with this boy soon enough. Martha, his handy-dandy shotgun, named by Carter of course, would definitely be making an appearance in the next few weeks if that look in Paul's eyes was anything to go by. He'd keep an eye on them.

"I appreciate the sentiment, I do, but I can wash dishes all by myself now. I've been doing this since I could move my arms in a co-ordinated fashion."

"At least let me dry the dishes then." He compromised.

"Okay, fine. You can dry the dishes. Here you go." She handed him a tea towel and began filling up the sink, a drop of detergent going in as she turned the faucet off. "So you work in construction at the moment, is that right?"

"Yes it is. You've got one more year of school left after this don't you?"

"I most certainly do."

"Have you got plans for after you graduate?"

"Not really. I don't have the money or the want to go to college, I have a job already down in Port Angeles and I'm going to be renting my own place in," she paused, mentally counting off the days, "three weeks' time."

"Where will you be living?" Paul asked.

"Between here and the La Push funnily enough. You'll be staying up on the Rez won't you?" He nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, do you resent the fact that you'll be obligated to stay in La Push?"

"I can see where you're coming from but no. I've lived there my whole life so far and, despite having some bad memories, I couldn't leave even if I wanted to."

She nodded and smiled before speaking.

"I could never leave the vicinity of Forks. I owe my life to Charlie and I think of Billy and the boys as family. Not to mention that Sam's my big brother."

They talked for a while longer, the dishes dried and put away long ago. Charlie had left the house, deciding to make a quick stop in at Billy's.

''

Sam had Paul bowing before him, his Alpha aura causing the young man to buckle under the weight.

"You disobeyed my orders." He growled, snapping at Paul. "Directly disobeyed an Alpha's order. Why?" Sam eventually sat in shock as the memory of seeing Carter calling out to him played before his eyes. He felt the strong pull Paul had felt the moment the younger man's eyes laid upon the girls' form, felt the longing, the need to meet her. He watched on and was briefly overcome with the feeling of complete devotion when Paul saw her for the first time and sent a smile his way, the feeling of completeness that far surpassed his own for Emily when Paul touched his hand to hers. "Enough!" Sam disappeared into the woods and both men shifted back to human form, getting dressed quickly.

Sam was standing at his full height, shoulders squared, one arm out in front of him as he pointed at Paul.

"You, you're in deep shit when the Elders find out." He pushed Paul backwards. "This was the one thing they didn't want happening. Fuck! They didn't want Carter anywhere near us because they didn't want anyone to imprint on her!"

Paul could understand the reluctance of bringing in outsiders, but if Sam's memories were anything to go by, Carter was a pack member; she was a Quileute by everything but blood. He then started to shake. The Elders were willing to risk the eternal happiness of one of their Tribesmen simply because the girl was not from the Rez. He would be without a soul-mate for all of eternity, he would be left with nothing but Sam's memories of the girl for as long as he lived; they would have had him die alone. His thought were constantly coming back to one fact: He would have been without Carter. He shifted, Sam phased and the two had roughed each other up as Paul vented his frustrations.

They returned to Sam's house where Emily was waiting anxiously. Sam had been gone much longer than she expected and she was getting worried. She let out a gasp at their appearances.

"Are you two okay? What happened?"

"We're fine. We miscalculated a jump and rolled down a hill or three." Sam said which was entirely true, he just didn't feel the need to tell her that Paul had jumped towards him in an attack and that they both ended up fighting each other in earnest.

"Come on. I've got dinner in the oven."

"Paul isn't staying; he's going to see Billy and the Elders tonight."

"Oh, that's fine. I'm sure Sam can eat it all anyway."

Paul nodded and waved a goodbye to the couple before making his way over to the Black's house.

''

To say Billy was surprised would be an understatement. Standing on his front porch was none other than Paul Lahote and he did not look all too happy about being there.

"What can I do for you Paul?"

"Did you agree with the rest of the Elders? That Carter should be kept away from anyone who shifts?"

Billy was taken aback but shouldn't have been surprised by the directness. What on Earth did Carter have to do with any of this though?

"No. I was the only one who voted against that decision."

"I went to Forks today."

"Paul, maybe this isn't the best time or place to speak. Can you wait until tomorrow evening when the Council is in session? You never know who might be listening."

"Your son's out of hearing range and is working on that car in the shed. He can't hear a word I'm saying."

"You went to Forks. Why did you go?"

"I had to meet Carter. Sam showed me his memories, of when he had first shifted; I _needed_ to meet her." Billy watched as Paul spoke and he felt his stomach drop. He knew exactly where this conversation was going. Charlie had dropped by asking him to keep an eye out for Paul, especially if the man was around Carter. He now knew why. "I imprinted on Carter." The only thought Billy had was, 'Well shit'. It certainly summed up the entire situation nicely.

"We Elders will have no say then. We will revoke the ban and allow her to come back. We can't interfere with Imprinting. It's still light out; I'll call a meeting." Paul nodded his head. "We'll meet in two hours. During that time, I suggest you go and find Chief Swan. He'll be down at the station but I think he'd like to hear why you were gawking after his daughter while you were down there."

''

"Had an interesting night tonight."

"What happened? Is everything alright Charlie?"

"Yeah, yeah, nothing bad, well nobody was hurt; was a close call though for one guy."

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Carter asked.

 _Charlie was filing paperwork when he was called to the front desk._

" _Paul? What are you doing here?"_

" _Billy said I should come by. There's been a new development in some Tribal matters." Charlie took the hint and guided the boy into his office._

" _Have a seat."_

" _It'll only take a minute Sir."_

" _Okay then. So what's happening?"_

" _I imprinted on Carter." Charlie paused, head whipping up and looking Paul in the eyes._

" _You imprinted on Carter?" He said, asking if he heard the man correctly._

" _Yes Sir."_

" _That's why you were all…" He couldn't think of any words that properly described how awe struck the young man had been when Carter was in their presence. Paul nodded. "What are your intentions?" He then asked, all business._

" _I would like to spend time with her, get to know her; let her get to know me like people usually do. I have no expectations of her; I don't expect her to love me instantly and unconditionally simply because she's my soul-mate. I would like to date Carter Sir."_

 _Charlie had been told what this imprinting deal was many years ago and he knew that there'd be not one person on the whole of this Earth that would be perfect for Carter asides from the young man, who was now sitting, in front of him._

" _You're not going to demand she live with you and propose after the first week of meeting her?" He asked, thinking back to Sam Uley and his handling of the imprinting._

" _No Sir. She doesn't know me." He too thought about Sam and his unrealistic expectations of Emily when he'd imprinted._

 _Charlie clapped his hands together._

" _I guess there's not much more I could want from you. You are her soul-mate after all, apparently." Charlie then picked up a shotgun from the floor under his desk. "You mess up, you hurt her in any way, and I'll shoot you somewhere that it can't heal, do you understand? That girl is like a daughter to me and I will not tolerate anyone hurting her. I'm completely serious. I don't care if you can morph into a giant wolf, I'll have you taken to the vet and put down."_

 _Paul was quite impressed with Charlie at the moment. At least he knew that his Carter would be safe whenever she was at the Chief's house._

" _Yes Sir."_

"Someone came into the station and met Martha; just your standard crazy person looking for something that wasn't there."

''

"Thank you for your help. Who wants some food?"

The two Shifter's made their way into the kitchen of Carter's new home. It had taken another two months before she was able to move in due to an estate sale that had to be conducted in order bring in revenue for the real estate company; the previous tenants had left the house abandoned and there was money owing on the property.

"You could have just moved in with me you know?" Paul said as he put food on a plate, handing it to Carter before piling some onto a plate of his own.

"Three months and you thought I'd be moving in with you? I'd like to live independently for at least a year. How about this, I'll move in with you after I graduate. Does that sound reasonable?"

Sam laughed at the look on Paul's face but could sympathise with the Shifter. It did have a significant impact on them, as Shifter's, and it did hurt to be away from their soul-mates.

"I suppose that's reasonable." Paul said, dragging out the last word as Carter playfully hit him on the arm.

"What was the rush with getting out of Charlie's?" Sam asked.

"His daughter is going to call up soon and live there with him for her final two years of High School. I didn't want to intrude."

Both men just shook their heads and rolled their eyes.

"If it's any consolation," Paul began, "you can intrude upon me anytime." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and all three of them dissolved into laughter.

''

Isabella Marie Swan was due to arrive at the airport in Seattle in no less than four hours' time. It had been another three months and Carter was over at Charlie's preparing a dinner for the Swan family.

"Charlie, dinner's cooking. Turn it off in twenty minutes, that's all you need to do alright? When you get back, you won't even need to heat it up. This dish keeps hot for hours, you'll have no problems."

"Why don't you just stay here? It'll be dark before you're halfway home if you walk. I'd feel better if you just stayed the night."

"You're daughter's coming to live with you Charlie. It'll be awkward for her. She needs time with **you**. Now stop that. I'll be absolutely fine. I'll see you sometime during the week Chief! I'll come by for the footy next week. Take care!"

Charlie watched as Carter disappeared down the road. That little girl he'd saved all those years ago, it seemed like a lifetime, had grown up and was living in a place of her own, was beginning her last year at school and working. He couldn't believe it. He was disappointed though, that she wouldn't stay the night. He thought she'd get along fine with Bella but every time his daughter visited, the girl made herself scarce. It was a shame, really. He thought of Carter as another daughter and he knew she thought of him as family; she had, on a few occasions, referred to Charlie as her Uncle and it warmed his heart. He shook his head; she thought she'd be intruding upon father/daughter time. He'd drop by her place during the week. She'd be fine anyway; those La Push boys were always around, protecting her like a lioness with cubs.

''

"So how are my most favourite people in the world this dark, abysmal, gloomy day?"

"Much better since you dropped by Sunshine." Emmett said, a playful wink sent her way as Rosalie closed her eyes, trying to ignore her husband's stupid behaviour.

"I'm sure it is." Carter replied with a wiggle of her eyebrows. "Where's the rest of the family?" She asked, looking around and seeing that Alice, Edward and Jasper were missing.

She got her answer soon enough though when she felt a tug at her waist and was held against someone's body, an indignant squeak leaving her as she prepared herself to fight. She raised her arm, a fork in her hand, and was about to bring it down, hopefully burying it into her attackers torso.

"It's just me; calm down." She heard a velvet voice reply.

"Holy crap Edward, what the hell do you think you're doing? Let me go Goddammit!"

"Let her be, Edward." Emmett stopped his laughter when Jasper appeared by the table. "Now."

It was a while longer before Edward let go, and only because Jasper had forcefully squeezed his shoulders to the point of almost separating his arms from his body. Carter couldn't understand how any of the Cullen's were able to stand her presence since the imprinting. According to the boys, there was the scent of the Shifter present at all times on their imprintee. The vampires were able to smell it but, for the most part, Carter's scent overpowered any others if one was to concentrate purely on her and the smell of the forest.

"You're to explain right now. You see these marshmallows here?" Carter pulled out a bag of the aforementioned snacks, "I will roast these over your flaming corpse if you don't answer me truthfully, alright?" She hadn't thought it possible but Edward truly did pale slightly at her threat. Must be the animal blood, she thought. She was looking forward to Edward's excuse, almost grinning dementedly at the boy because she knew exactly what was wrong. It was Bella's first day and Edward was fighting off bloodlust. He couldn't say that, of course, because the Cullen's were still unaware that Carter knew about them.

"I…." He went to speak but closed his mouth and went to try again. "I…."

"I-I-I'm waiting Edward."

He looked to the table and then to Alice, hoping that one of them could think of a legitimate reason for his odd behaviour.

"I missed you." He then said and Carter started to laugh aloud. She eventually quietened down.

"Yeah, I wouldn't buy that if it was reduced to a quick sale and I could pay for it with a simple 'thank you'. The next time you decide to try and maul me in public, think carefully before you actually go through with it. These fluffy clouds of goodness need some toasting and I'm not afraid to set you alight to do so."

Jasper and Rosalie both were glowering at Edward. The two blondes would be worrying about Carter until they saw her tomorrow...If they saw her tomorrow. They knew she ran with werewolves, though the girl herself obviously was oblivious to that fact, and Carlisle had warned them about physical interactions with Carter and the consequences that may come about as a result of their scents lingering on her. The good Doctor pretty much summed it up with two words: Carter's death. Edwards' actions today, no matter the reason, would do nothing but land Carter in hospital. Jasper would have a 'talk' with his brother after school.

"I'll see you lot tomorrow." Carter said, saluting the Cullen's and walking off. The Twins had missed whatever she was saying, too caught up with thinking about what might happen to Carter after school hours.

"What the fuck did you think you were doing?" Rosalie scowled at him.

"I, Bella's blood; she's my singer." Alice nodded a confirmation but that didn't placate either Hale.

"You know she runs with the Werewolves yet you cover her in your scent? Those boys from La Push visit her every single day, Edward. What do you think will happen when they get a whiff of Vampire coming from her?"

"Carlisle has explained that anger is a trigger, Edward." Jasper said, continuing on from Rosalie's sentence. "They will phase the moment they smell you. How far away do you think Carter will be when they get the scent? What if they're standing downwind and don't smell her until she's right in front of them?"

Emmett listened carefully, now understanding the graveness of the situation.

"She could be killed." Emmett spoke aloud in realisation.

Edward stopped breathing at that and looked to Alice.

"I can't see her; I can't tell you." The Seer said apathetically.

"I'm sorry. I forgo-"

"Don't finish that word off Edward, else you'll find out exactly how sorry you should be. We'll let Carlisle know; have him call Sam." Jasper nodded to Emmett and the burly vampire took out a phone, sending Carlisle a text.

''

Sam held the bridge of his nose as he listened to the Vampire Doctor, Carlisle Cullen.

"I'll meet her at the school and drive her to Charlie's; she can shower there. I'll make something up. Make sure your boy doesn't go near her again. I can't say that I care about what he's going through. My sister could have been seriously harmed had she have come home today smelling like one of you." He hung up the phone and dialled the number for the Forks Police.

"Hello, I need to speak with Chief Swan please. It is important. Thank you." He waited until he heard the gruff voice of Charlie Swan. "Hey Chief, it's Sam."

"What's going on?"

"Carter's going to be borrowing your bathroom this afternoon."

"My bathroom? Did someone tip their tray on her again?" Sam look at the phone oddly before placing it back to his ear.

"No, no she just can't go back to her place until she gets the scent of vampire off of her skin."

"What?!"

"She wasn't bitten or hurt or anything else. It's just a precaution. One of the Cullen boys got a little touchy. Carlisle called me up. I can't risk Jared shifting when Carter's near him. He's still new to this; it'll set him off."

"Do what you need to Sam. Tell Carter I'll be speaking with her tonight though. I'll drop by the shop."

"No problem Chief."

Charlie was a very respectful individual and quite a passive person but right now he could honestly kill a person.

"Mother fucking Vampires." He said under his breath, refocusing on the paperwork he was filing.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** So here is Chapter two. It's going to get rather dark and angst-y soon so be prepared. I hope you've enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, Isabella would have been crushed by Tyler's van. I think it would have been an epic plot twist. Edward would then end up with Tyler, comforting him after such a tragic incident; bonding over the fact that they both thought they were monsters who deserved nothing less than a slow and painful death.

* * *

Isabella Swan was not all that impressed with Washington. She'd much rather stay with Renee and Phillip but her mother was insistent that she move in with her father, Charles Swan, for reasons of stability.

"Are you looking forward to school tomorrow Bells?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, sure, I suppose so." She answered as they pulled up into the driveway.

Charlie turned to his daughter and sent her a smile.

"Welcome home!" He said. "I've got a surprise for you. It'll be here in a minute."

Bella smiled and thanked Charlie with as much enthusiasm as she could muster before her face fell as she walked towards the Chevy. School wouldn't be so bad, she thought to herself.

Her outlook in regards to living in Forks changed drastically when she laid eyes upon Edward Cullen, an Adonis reincarnation with bronze hair and topaz eyes.

"So who are they?" She'd asked Jessica during the lunch break. She'd been immediately accepted by the group of people she sat with and was content to hang with them for the moment.

"The beautiful people? They're the Cullen's. Aren't they gorgeous?"Bella nodded at Jessica Stanely's assessment. They most certainly were, especially the bronze-haired boy. "The blondes are the Hale twins, Jasper and Rosalie; they're Esme Cullen's niece and nephew. She took them in after their parents died. The big one is Emmett Cullen; he has such a gorgeous smile. The little pixie-like girl is Alice; she's weird. That God that's looking over here is Edward Cullen. They're all, like, together. Well, except for Edward. He doesn't date. Apparently no one in Forks is good enough for him. Well no one normal anyway."

Nearly everyone in the entire cafeteria gasped and looked towards the Cullen table in shock when a high pitched squeak emanated from their direction. The population of Forks High had just witnessed Edward Cullen, the most eligible bachelor, grab _the_ Killer Carter by the waist, pushing her up against him as he seemingly nuzzled her neck.

"What the hell is that?" Jessica almost shouted.

"It shouldn't really surprise us. Killer Carter is the only girl he willingly speaks to. It's disgusting. She's going to lure him into the woods and that'll be last we ever see of that gorgeous boy."

"Don't be so mean. Carter's a lovely person." Angela defended the girl.

"How would you know? She helped you, like, one time. She might have planned to kill you in the library that day."

"That boy could do so much better than that thing."

"Carter seems alright." Mike said. "I don't get why you are so afraid of her. She hasn't gone and killed your family."

"Yet, Mike. Yet." Jessica said, Lauren voicing her agreement.

"Wait, that's Carter?" Bella asked, taking in the sight of a short girl. "My father's mentioned her a lot; I just didn't know she was only slightly older than me.

"Weird. You know he tried to adopt her the year he found her?"

"What do you mean tried to adopt?"

"Chief Swan saved her life. He was on call. Nobody knows what actually happened out there. It was only just within his jurisdiction or something like that so he took the job and she was there. Anyway, he wasn't able to find anything about her. There were no missing person's reports by family members; she had nothing that could help locate the next of kin, not even a last name. People say that she was found in a pool of blood; she'd killed a whole bunch of people but they couldn't prosecute a ghost, you know, someone who can't be identified. Long story short, she got away with it on that legal technicality. You're father thought he could help her, make her fight the need to kill. He grew fond of her and treated her like she was his daughter; he still does to this very day." Lauren supplied.

"I know right? Insane." Jessica said.

"I didn't see her at my house yesterday."

"She moved into a place of her own. People don't like going up too far past Forks because she has a house there."

"How old is she?"

"She's a senior." Lauren answered with a noncommittal shrug. "Eighteen."

"I didn't know that my father tried adopting her." Bella then said, feeling a little out of the loop.

"Well you'll be seeing her often. Be careful Bella. She may seem all sweet and innocent but she will not hesitate to kill you."

''

"Charlie?" Bella called out as she walked into the house. She walked to the kitchen, hearing movement.

"Oh, hi Isabella, I'm Carter."

Bella looked at her in surprise.

"What are you doing in my house?"

Carter gave her a polite smile; a fake one, but this girl would never know the difference. She could not stand the personality of Bella Swan in the Twilight books and she knew, just from that one sentence alone, that she was not going to like Bella Swan in real life either.

"Charlie said I could stay the night. I broke my key off in my front door this morning and the lock smith isn't going to be able to drop by until tomorrow so I'll be staying here. Sorry about the inconvenience."

"No, that's, that's alright. You just surprised me. I thought you were Charlie."

"My moustache isn't that impressive." She said jokingly, hoping to dispel some of the uncomfortable atmosphere. "So am I right in believing that today was your first day at Forks High?"

"Yeah. You're a senior, aren't you?"

"I most certainly am. I apologise for not introducing myself earlier; I just thought that meeting your classmates and starting a new school may be slightly overwhelming and I didn't want to interrupt your time with your new friends."

"Thanks, I guess. You don't need to apologise."

"Would you mind just setting out some plates? Sorry, that sounded bossy. I can't stop stirring this sauce until I'm ready to plate everything up; it's quite temperamental." Bella nodded her head and hesitantly went towards the cupboard that Carter had gestured towards. "So how was your first day?"

"It was fine. It's school, you know? I think I'll like English classes though."

"Oh, what are you studying?"

"Wuthering Heights; it's my all-time favourite book."

"Interesting. Any classes that you think you might not like?"

Bella was feeling uncomfortable talking to this girl. There was just something about her that made her wary. Right, the rumours, she remembered.

"I think I might like to drop biology."

"Why is that? Is it the teacher?"

"No, no. I've, uh, done the lab before so, uh, I guess it'll just get boring." She stood there awkwardly as Carter busied herself with various tasks in the kitchen. "I'm going to go upstairs."

"Sure, this is your house: do what you got to do. I'll call you when the food's ready. Your Dad should be home in ten minutes."

"Cool. Thanks." Bella disappeared.

Needless to say dinner was about as awkward as their introductions. Charlie was a little disappointed that the two girls didn't hit it off right away. He had harboured the secret want of seeing these two become best friends instantly but it didn't look like that would be happening.

''

"I need to go and give a spare key to the lock smith then I'll head on down to school. I'll get a lift from Sam." Carter said, a subtle wink was sent to Charlie, telling him to play along. Breaking her key in the door was the first excuse she could think of when she was told to just stay at Charlie's that night. She was going to kill Edward for this, well, if they ever found out she knew. She tried to cut the kid some slack, having met his blood singer and all. She just wasn't impressed that he needed to be so close to her in order to drown out Bella's scent.

"Right, the lock smith." Charlie replied. "Are you sure you'll get to school on time?"

"Positive." She said with a large smile, almost laughing at Charlie's attempts at being serious about the lock smith.

"Okay then. When are you going to stop by?"

"Not too sure. Soon though, I promise. Thanks for letting me crash here Charlie."

"You don't need to thank me Carter. How many years must I tell you this?"

"At least once more, kind Sir." She said with bow. "Anyway, I better get going. See you. Have a great day at work." She hugged Charlie and the man pressed a kiss to her forehead, waving goodbye as she walked off.

Bella watched the scene in front of her. Since when was her Dad affectionate? How could he be awkward with his own daughter but so at ease with some strange girl?

''

"We're going to talk about it Car."

"I'm not saying that we won't, I just need to get to school right now. It was just an unexpected hug. The kid found out that Isabella is his singer; her blood calls to him and it was proving to be a little too much. You know I'm a breath of fresh air."

"That doesn't give the leech any excuse to grope you in the middle of the cafeteria." Sam retorted. Carter shook her head.

"Sam, really? This is what I'd expect from Jared, not you. A hug, Sam. If he did grope me he'd be dead so cool your jets Alpha-boy. What did Paul say?"

"He's going to speak with you when you get home this afternoon."

"Brilliant. Tell him I look forward to it. I'll see you later."

"Oh, Car, whatever you do, don't come back home smelling like a leech okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, no problem Sammy." She said aloud before muttering under her breath. "It's not like I just waltzed up and rubbed myself against him on purpose."

"Don't be a smartass either! I heard that."

When Carter arrived at school she pretened to be confused when she spotted the Hale twins approaching. Poor things probably thought her Pack had a freak out and almost killed her. Show time, she thought, getting herself prepared to sell the 'I don't know a thing about the supernatural' act.

"Good morning?"

"Are you hurt?" Jasper asked her, tone serious and eyes scanning her.

"No. Why would I be? Did you lot send a hit-man out to bash my kneecaps in or something?"

"We were just worried about you. You left early yesterday and there were rumours that you had been injured." Rosalie replied. She almost cringed at her lie. She could smell the bullshit she had said.

"Completely injury free." She said, rolling up her sleeves and showing off the unblemished skin. "Thanks for the concern, and for checking up on me."

"We better head to class. The bell rang two minutes ago." Jasper said, patiently waiting, arm extended towards Carter. "Shall we go, my Lady?"

"What an excellent suggestion good Sir. Will the lovely blonde lady be joining us?"

Rosalie exaggeratingly flicked her hair back at Carter's words before sending her a smile.

"I'll walk with the both of you." She agreed, looping her arm through Carter's and the three made their way into the school; Carter throwing a quick 'Hi Emmett, Edward and Alice. Bye Emmett, Edward and Alice'.

''

Carter was truly impressed with just how much of a walking disaster Charlie's daughter was. The book did the girl's affinity for injuries no justice. The girl had been sent to the First Aid station of the school on no less than seventeen occasions. It had been two weeks since the first snow fell upon the small town of Forks and Carter had been on edge for the first few days but was more than shocked when Tyler continuously drove his van to and from the school parking lot without any incident. Suffice to say, she became complacent, coming to the conclusion that her presence here in the Twilight World must have altered the plot slightly. I wonder what'll happen instead, she thought to herself, thinking up various scenarios varying from a near miss in the cafeteria to almost getting crushed by an overhanging light in the gymnasium. We'll just have to wait and see, she thought.

''

Bella Swan was walking towards her truck, headphones in and looking appreciatively at the snow chains her father had cleaned and adjusted that morning. That was when she heard it: a high-pitched screeching. Her head whipped around to face the direction the noise was coming from and she stood, frozen in horror as she watched Tyler's van come careening towards her. She closed her eyes, knowing that her body wouldn't co-operate with her brain at this point in time. Students watched on, surprise and worry on their faces. Bella Swan would be no more by tonight.

Carter had steeled herself to be but an innocent bystander during the weeks leading up to the original incident but the new timing had thrown her off and being there in person, and not all that far behind Bella, she sprang into action. She threw her side-bag to the ground and started running towards the girl. She could make this, just barely, but she was sure she could. She threw herself at Bella, pushing the girl out of the way. She let out a yelp of surprise when she felt pain shoot up her leg. The van hit the back of Bella's truck with a loud, metallic crunch. People ran to help Tyler out of the car; the boy was bleeding from his forehead and was currently fading in and out of consciousness. The students of Forks High were in hysterics at this point.

"Are you alright Isabella?" Carter asked the girl. "Isabella?" The girl looked at her, eyes wide and unable to form a coherent thought. "Come on." Carter went to stand up but promptly let out a hiss of pain and fell back down. Cold hands helped her to her feet.

"You should have joined the football team with a tackle like that." Emmett said, trying to lighten the mood. Bella stood up on her own, clutching her arms to her chest. "Are you alright Bella?" He asked the girl.

"Y-yeah, I'm….I'm fine; just a little sore." She said. "You saved my life." She then said, looking Carter in the eyes. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, it was no problem." Carter tried her best to hide the grimace but it was a little more than obvious that she was in pain.

"You think you can walk? Your leg looks a little messed up."

"'Course I can. Just give me a moment. The snow's numbed me a little."

"Back up." Emmett told the surrounding students as he helped Carter to his family. "Nosey aren't they? Want a lift to your place?"

"I don't want to ruin your car." She said.

Rosalie, along with Jasper, Emmett and Edward looked to her like she was an idiot.

"Okay, fine. But only if it's not too much trouble." She was then picked up by Emmett and placed gently into the back of Rosalie's convertible. "Jesus Emmett. I knew you were strong but holy fudge muffins." Emmett sent her a wink as he went to sit upfront, Jasper joining her in the back.

"Carter!" A teacher had run up to the car before they could get out of there. "You need to wait here for the ambulance."

"I'm fine Sir. There's a stack of witnesses here and I can always give Chief Swan a statement if need be at a later tonight." As she finished the sentence, the sounds of sirens could be heard and an ambulance was in the parking lot of Forks High. "Look, it's just a little scrape from the asphalt, honest Sir."

"My Uncle's a doctor." Jasper then spoke up. "If it's any worse than what Carter says, we can get him to take a look at her tonight. She's in safe hands Sir."

The teacher eventually consented and the group made a quick escape. As they left, Charlie had just arrived and was absolutely frantic.

"Bella? Isabella Marie Swan you answer me this instant!"

"I'm here Charlie." She said. "I'm okay. I can't say the same for the truck though."

Charlie let out a sigh of relief and held his daughter close to him.

"I better go and get statements off of the students. I'll get one off of you after I deal with this lot."

"No. I mean, there are enough witnesses already."

"Bells, I'll have one of the other Officers get a statement from you. You have to; your car was involved, _you_ were involved so no getting out of this.."

"But, okay fine. You better go, you've got your work cut out for you."

"Have you called for a tow-truck?"

"Not yet. I'll do that now."

''

"They're ruined aren't they?"

"I distinctly remember you once saying that you could blood out of clothing." Jasper said, a small smirk on his face as he cleaned Carter's leg.

"That was ages ago! How the hell do you even remember?"

"We're geniuses; enough said." Emmett supplied. She let out another hiss of pain as Jasper squeezed her leg, trying to get a piece of gravel out of her knee.

"Would you like something to eat?" Rosalie asked, getting restless.

"That would be wonderful. Thanks Rose."

"Nearly done Little Lady." Jasper said, finally getting that one little rock from the wound.

"Better wrap this up Jazz-man." Emmett said, laughing at his own little pun.

After her wound was bandaged, she stood, experimentally putting some weight on her leg before switching her weight back to the other foot. The three Vampires stayed for a while longer, intent on making sure that Carter wouldn't go falling down her stairs.

"Are you sure you're goin-" The sentence was never completed as all three Cullen's froze, looking towards the back of the house, towards the woods and then to Carter, trying to retain their normal façade.

The front door swung open with a bang and in marched Sam and Paul, both men looking livid.

"There was a car accident at school and I got a little hurt. Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie helped me back here because I didn't need an ambulance and they live with a doctor so they know what they're doing when it comes to fixing up people." Carter said, her words fast and flowing as she tried to avoid a fight between the supernatural beings. "Uh, this is Sam Uley and Paul Lahote. Boys, this is Jasper and Rosalie Hale and that weird looking guy over there is Emmett Cullen." There was an obvious tension in the room. "Normal people shake hands." She then said, watching with a malicious sort of glee as the Vampires shook the hands of the Shifters.

"We best be going." Jasper said, nodding courteously towards the wolves. "Edward," both Shifters bristled at the name, "has your bag. He'll bring it with him tomorrow. Be careful, Carter."

The Vampires left the room; a 'Goodbye CarterI', 'See you to tomorrow' and 'Be careful' were said.

"Thank you! I'll see you tomorrow!" She shouted after them. There was silence as the two Shifters waited until they could no longer hear the car the vampires were travelling in.

Paul strode over to Carter, pushing her back into the armchair she was standing in front of and taking her leg in his hands. He undid the bandages and let out a sigh of relief when he realised it wasn't all that bad.

"It's literally just a scrape. I banged it up when I tackled someone out of the way of the van."

Sam was watching Paul. The amount of control this young man had over his abilities was astounding. He was, in a sense, bombproof; unless Carter was in real danger, he didn't lose his composure or control, unlike Sam who almost phased because a cookie cutter scratched his imprint.

"They didn't hurt you." He stated.

"No. They never would either. Not those three. Jasper," Paul bristled a little at the name of the blonde Vampire, "is the most trustworthy of all of the Coven. His control is unwavering and he would never hurt me. Rosalie and Emmett are pretty much the same. They're good beings."

"We'll take your word for it." Sam said. Paul was now rewrapping the wound. Once he was finished he remained kneeled in front of Carter.

"I'm fine Paul, honestly." She said, answering Paul's silent question. Sam wouldn't deny it: he was always amazed when these two were together, if not a little jealous because the connection between Paul and Carter seemed to be something stronger, something deeper, than Tribal Magic. "Would you mind checking the oven Sam? Rosalie put something on for me to eat but I have no idea what it was or if she's followed the instructions right." She said to the Alpha.

"Sure. Do you want a drink?"

"Yeah, there should be some cans of soft drink on the bottom shelf in the fridge."

Paul stood up once Sam had disappeared into the kitchen. He scooped the young woman up in his arms and sat them both down on the armchair, Carter burrowing into Paul's chest as he stroked her hair, kissing her forehead.

"You're going to make me fall asleep." Carter said, yawning in the process.

"You need some sleep." He said.

"Isabella Swan was nearly killed today."

"You pushed her out of the way of an out-of-control vehicle and put yourself in harm's way."

"I guess you could look at it like that." Carter replied.

"Charlie's here." Paul said. Sam was walking back in with some mini pies, sausages rolls and drinks.

"Carter?" Charlie called out as he opened the door.

"In the living room Charlie." She called back to him.

"Thank God for that." He said as he walked in. "You weren't hurt too badly were you? Some kids were saying that they saw you get dragged under the van."

"Just a scrapped knee. Is Isabella alright? I sort of tackled her into the pavement."

"She's fine. A little shocked still, but other than that, she's in perfect health, and it's because of you. You saved my daughter's life Carter." Paul stood up, bringing Carter with him and Charlie took that as his queue. He reached forward and embraced the girl. "Thank you."

''

The next few months proved to be rather dull. Carter spent her time at school, work, with Paul or with the Troublesome Trio, who she was currently with at the moment.

"We don't need a babysitter. This is ridiculous."

"I'm not a babysitter Jacob; I'm acting as a chaperon. Wouldn't want you to catch anything while you're down at the beach. Your father would kill me if you came back with crabs." Quil laughed hard at that, gasping for air and begging for mercy. Jacob had flushed a faint pink but maintained an unimpressed look.

"That wasn't funny Car. Never speak of such things again." He said. Embry chuckled along with her as she snickered at the youngest boy.

"What? He'd kill me if you ever brought those little, eight-legged critters home again!" She laughed aloud. "Aw, did I embarrass you Jakey-boo?" She asked in a baby-voice, cooing at him as she attempted to pinch his cheeks. He swatted at her hands.

"Why?" He asked, looking up at the ceiling of the garage. "What did I do to deserve this kind of torture?"

"Hey, don't be complaining Jake." Quil said, leaning towards where Carter was sitting. "I wouldn't be if I was lucky enough to have this angel in my life." He said with a wink.

"Oh Quil, if only I was a few years younger." Carter said, a hand to her forehead and the other over her heart.

"Age is just a number, baby. I'm game if you are." He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Jacob just looked on, a slight hint of disgust on his face.

"Quil, quit it; it's getting sad. You're pathetic." He told his friend.

"What did I ever do to you?" Quil asked. "Try to show someone a little appreciation-"

"That's not the kind of appreciation you should be showing. You're sick! She's like our sister."

"Like _your_ sister." Quil replied.

"Oh my God, Quil. Too far; way too far. Be quiet." Carter said.

"What do you think Uley would do to Quil if he found out he was flirting with his little sister?" Embry asked, stopping Quil before the boy could utter another stupid sentence. The boy in question paled. Embry, Jacob and Carter laughed at his reaction.

"Shut up! You're not going to tell him are you?" He then asked, panicking slightly.

"You'll be fine Quil. But I would suggest you never say something like that again. I am completely uncomfortable being anywhere near you at the moment."

"I was just joking! Come on, I was. Really!"

Jacob put down the various tools he was using and stood up, wiping his oily hands on an old dish cloth.

"Let's head off now."

"Good idea Jakey." Carter said, reaching up to clap him on the shoulder. "Let's go. Oh, and children," she said looking back at them as she exited the garage first, "one foot out of line and we will be coming back home. Understand?"

The three boys rolled their eyes and followed after the young woman. They made it to First Beach and Carter was not at all surprised to see that there was a small group of Forks High students. Right, she thought, I'll let Jacob tell her the story of the Cold Ones. She won't find out about Edward otherwise.

Unbeknownst to her, Bella did have her suspicions about Edward Cullen and his family. She had witnessed the boy run at an inhuman speed and swore she saw him in a tree by her house one night, not that she'd ever confront the boy about it.

"Go on boys, have your fun."

Embry stayed behind, opting to talk with Carter as she strolled along the beach and made her way to a hidden alcove.

"What's up Embry? You've been even more quiet than usual."

Embry wasn't sure how to say it without sounding crazy but he was worried about turning into a wolf at any given moment in time. He'd been feeling off these last couple of weeks and, growing up listening to the legends of the Quileute Tribe, had connected some of the signs of shifting to those that he was displaying. If anyone was going to believe him, or at least humour him, it was Carter.

"I've been feeling weird lately; feeling off."

"Are you feeling sick?" He shook his head.

"No, no it's just…." He paused for a moment. "I think the Tribal Legends are true and that I'm turning into a Werewolf." He blurted out in one go.

Carter just looked at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him down to her level. She knew he'd be shifting soon but she had no idea that the boy was smart enough to connect the dots. He had grown taller, was developing some muscle and had aged a bit. She placed a hand to his forehead. His hands did feel much warmer than they should have but his forehead, that was almost on fire.

"Embry, I need you to come with me now. We need to go and see Sam."

"I was right." He then said. "About them: They're not a cult; they're werewolves."

"Hush, now, they're down on the beach and can probably hear you. They've been keeping an eye out for you." They exited the cave and climbed their way back to the beach. Carter looked towards the group on the beach. Sam stood before the Forks students, flanked by Paul and Jared. Jacob looked as if he might try and start a fight.

"Remind me to hit that boy later." Embry made a small noise in agreement and followed along. "Come on Embry. There's no time for dilly-dallying along the beach." She reached for his hand and started to pull him along, walking at a fast pace. "Oi bro!" She yelled. "We need to speak with you right now. Top of the hill Sammy!"

Everyone just stared after her as she continued to pull a slightly scared looking Embry along.

"Was that-" Mike began to say but was cut off by Jessica and Lauren.

"Killer Carter? Yes." The said in unison.

Paul shot them both a look that had them taking a few steps back, almost cowering away from the man. Sam sent him a look.

"Come on. We better go and see what she wants." He subtly commanded. The Shifters took off after Carter.

"Wait!" Jacob yelled after them but they ignored him. He turned to Quil. "What the hell is she doing?"

"I've got no idea. We'll ask Embry on our way back."

Jacob seriously considered going up to the top of the hill to see what they were talking about but a soft voice stopped him.

"Jake? Do you want to go for a little walk with me?" Bella asked.

Meanwhile, on top of the hill, Sam was looking at Embry with some newfound respect.

"You think you're going to turn into a wolf because you've grown taller and have a constant fever?" He asked the boy. Embry looked to Carter, who gave him a thumbs-up. He was nervous as hell. He was taller, he was taller than Jacob now, but the height of the three men in front of him did unnerve him.

"Y-yes."

Sam looked to Carter as well before looking back at Embry. Paul remained standing behind Sam, as did Jared, with his arms crossed over his chest, his face betraying no emotions.

"We'll take him back to mine. Are you going to join us Car?" Sam asked.

"I'll be there soon. I'm going to make sure Jacob and Quil get back to Billy's." Sam nodded and turned to walk away, Jared following him. Embry stood there, not knowing what to do and watched as Paul came over and gathered Carter up in his arms. The man dwarfed the girl and it was an odd sight to see. Embry knew she would hang out with the infamous 'Protectors' but he knew what their relationships were with her.

"Save you some?"

"Please? Emily usually hides a plate but Jared's a pig. I should be there in two hours, three at the most." Paul raised an eyebrow. "They're going to ask questions so I'll make up something." She leant forward, standing on her toes to place a kiss on Paul's lips. "Look after Embry, okay?"

"We will. Off you go then; the quicker you take those boys home the quicker you'll be back with me." Carter turned to Embry.

"Go with them Bree. They won't hurt you; you can trust them. Oh, by the way, just play along with whatever I end up telling Jake and Quil alright?" He nodded and began to walk towards Paul.

"Let's go." Paul said to him. "See you later love."

"Bye love." She sang back to him, smiling at Embry's obvious shock. The boy was looking back and forth between the two. "See you later Bree!" She chuckled at the confusion and slight disbelief on the face of her friend. Oh she could not wait until Quil shifted; she was certain the boy would have a hilarious reaction to her being with Paul.

Carter made her way back down to the beach, waiting patiently for the boys to finish up whatever they were doing. One epic sand castle later, complete with a mote and driftwood bridge of course, Jacob and Quil walked back towards her.

"Where's Embry?" Jacob asked.

"What did Sam and his crazy cult want?" Quil questioned.

"They wanted to exchange contracts. I sold Embry to them. He'll fetch a good price in the slave trade market. They know a guy who knows a guy so I won't be cheated. I think they said I'd get a good $50,000. If they kill him and harvest the organs, which they won't because it's not part of the deal, I'd get $400,000." She then shrugged. "I really should get into the organ harvesting market but my moral compass won't allow me to go that far."

Quil went to speak but nothing came out. He tried again but the result was the same. He'd leave it to Jacob to do the speaking.

"Where is Embry?" Jacob asked again, a hard tone to his voice.

"He's running a fever like nobody's business. He felt a little funny when we got to the cave so I felt his forehead and it was on fire."

"Why'd you call Sam over?"

"This'll surprise you but Sam and Paul both have qualifications in First Aid." Jacob looked at her weirdly. "Park Rangers need to know what to do in medical emergencies." She explained. "So, did you have fun? Didn't catch anything while you were on your, _walk_ , with Isabella?" She asked, successfully changing the subject and causing Jacob to once again turn red.

"He saved her from a piece of seaweed. It was soooo romantic." Quil said, imitating a stereotypical, romance obsessed girl. "Ouch! Carter, Jacob hit me!" He whined.

"Pull up your big boy pants Quil or hit him back." Carter said, smirking at the boy.

"You never choose my side!"

"Because your side always loses sweetie." She said, reaching up to pat his head. "We heading back or chilling for a while longer?"

"Heading back." Jacob answered.

"Okay then. Wait a moment; I need to take a picture of this awesome piece of art."

"Does the drawbridge work?" Quil asked.

"Pull that piece of seaweed."

"Holy shit! That's cool!"

"Language Quil." Carter reprimanded, hitting the boy in the arm.

Jacob took the camera from Carter's hand and snapped a few pictures of her 'Awesome' castle, a few pictures of the three of them and then a picture of Carter's face when Quil stacked it, flattening her castle.

"Now that Quil's gone and destroyed my beautiful creation, I suppose we should head back. Billy will run me down if you're not there when he gets back."

''

* * *

 **Authors Note:** And so ends the third instalment of this alternative Paul/OC story. I tend to do this with everything I write. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.


	4. Chapter 4

Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, I would definitely have written Embry into the story more so than he was.

* * *

Carter was not a happy person right now; not at all. Charlie asked her to join Bella in Port Angeles as she went shopping for Prom. Bella didn't mind the older girl, not really. The only thing she disliked about her was the obvious trust that Edward placed in the hands of Carter; the familiarity he shared with her. Bella wished to have a relationship with the bronze-haired Adonis, any connection with him at all, and she sincerely hoped that Edward didn't harbour any romantic feelings towards the young woman because that would make her dreams for the future impossible. Bella shook her head. She could feel the jealousy building up within her as she dwelled on Edward and the way he was around another girl, around a girl that wasn't her. Okay, so she lied. Bella Swan had a bit more than a grudge against Carter. The young woman was an important factor in Charlie's life, in the Cullen's life; hell she was even an honorary member of the Black family.

"What about this one?" Jessica asked for the seventh time that afternoon.

"Yeah, it looks good Jess."

"That's what you said about the other ones." She huffed.

"This really isn't your thing, is it Bella?" Angela asked kindly.

"No. I'm sorry guys. Look, Carter's just arrived and Charlie wanted her to accompany me this afternoon. I'll go to the bookstore or something and meet up with you at the restaurant."

"Sure, no problem."

"Oh my God, what's wrong with your Dad? Good luck Bella, you'll need it more than us." Jessica said.

Bella walked outside, making her way to Carter who was currently checking her phone.

"Hey Carter."

"Hi Isabella, I'm sorry about this by the way. Your Dad just doesn't feel like it's safe for anyone to be walking about in Port Angeles at any time of the day alone."

"Uh, no problem; I get it. I wanted to check out a few bookstores actually."

"Have you ever visited my shop? I mean the shop I work at."

"Not yet."

"Do you want to go there first and then we'll head off to the shop you want to check out? If you find a book you like I can give it to you for discounted prices." She said with a warm smile.

"Sure. That'd be cool."

They didn't spend long in the second-hand bookstore that Carter ran during most of the week.

"Uh, there's a book I wanted to check out from that new shop."

They made their way into the new little Tribal bookstore.

"Hey beautiful, when was the last time my eyes were gifted with such a sight?" A Quileute male spoke. Bella shift awkwardly as the man took Carter's hand and brought it to his mouth.

"You really want to do that Tony?" She asked, clearly knowing the man.

"For my own safety I really shouldn't." He then kissed the back of her hand. "For my sanity's sake I had to."

"Cheeky twat. I didn't know you were working here."

"Then you also didn't know that I own this shop. Outsiders love the tall, dark and handsome Quileute males so they've been coming in and buying books they'll clearly never read." He then turned to Bella. "What can I do for you today?"

"This is Isabella Swan, Charlie's daughter."

"Ah, the infamous Swan child. Welcome to my humble store. Feel free to browse around." He said, bowing with a flourish. "I am Tony Ku'ane, at your service."

"Uh, nice to meet you." She said. "I'll just look around."

"Well she's about as cheerful and friendly as I've heard." Tony said. "What are you doing here with her? She doesn't exactly look like she's happy."

"It's just her face. She can't help it." They shared a quiet laugh. "Charlie asked me to play bodyguard; he didn't want his daughter wondering the streets alone at night."

"Ah, that explains it then."

"How long have you been here?"

"Well I grew up on the Reservation, La Push, which is just outs-" He laughed at the face Carter pulled. "Only a week and a half. I've been stealing your customers. People just can't resist coming into see this." He said, pointing as himself and gesturing towards his body.

The two chatted about various things, mainly the progress of the Park Rangers program that Paul and Sam had set up.

"So it's doubling as a community watch type of program as well right?"

"Sure is."

"How can I get in?"

"There's an extensive application process. You do know that you'll be put before the Elders right?" Tony paled. "I'll take that as a no."

"Those old guys are still after my blood for that little accident."

"You nearly burnt down the entire forest of Forks and La Push!"

"It was an accident!"

"You purposely did it!"

"I only wanted to see what would happen! I was young and stupid back then. Give a man a chance!" He said in exasperation.

"Um, excuse me. I'd like to buy this one." Tony turned around and walked back behind the counter.

"No problem Isabella. Is that all?"

"Yes please, and it's just Bella actually."

"Alrighty then. Did you walk here?" He asked out of the blue.

"Uh, yes." Bella answered.

"Do you guys want a lift? I'm closing up shop in a half hour; it'd be no problem."

"No thanks. We're fine. Carter knows where we're going and I'm already late."

"It's fine Tony. I'll see you when I open up shop tomorrow."

"If you're sure." He said. He sent Carter a look and she just shrugged. He had an odd feeling about tonight, like something bad was going to happen. He tried shrugging it off but it remained at the back of his mind, nagging him.

It was ten minutes later that Carter realised they were being followed. The reason she missed it was because she was expecting a bunch of drunken youths, not a group of thugs. She heard a whistle. Bella stiffened next to her.

"Just keep walking Isabella. If we ignore them, they'll leave us alone." Bella was sceptical of this theory but kept her pace as Carter continued to speak with her. "Have you got a phone with you?" She asked.

"No, I left it with Jessica and Angela." Bella was going to question Carter but stopped short when she realised that there were two people headed towards them, another coming up from an alley they were passing.

"There's another two people behind us." Carter said. "If they do anything, anything at all, I want you to run and get help. Here's my phone. Get ready to dial the police."

"Hey Ladies, lookin' for a good time?" A gruff voice said from behind them, closer than what Carter had expected.

"I think they are Dave." The two that were following behind them, Dave and whoever the hell the other guy was, were now within arm's reach. Dave grabbed Bella's shoulder, dragging her part way into the alley and Carter immediately took charge of the situation.

She punched one of the men in the face before turning to Dave and pushing his arm away.

"Run Isabella! Go and get help!" She let out a yelp when Dave's arm shot out and encircled her neck. "Fucking run!" Bella didn't need to be told again and legged it out of the alley and up the road.

"Leave her, we've got this one." Dave called. "Hey, hey calm down Doll-face. We just want to get to know y-" He was cut off when Carter threw her head back, connecting with his face. He loosened his hold and Carter shot out of there, forgetting momentarily about the four other people. She remembered them quickly enough when she was tripped by one of them.

"Help! Help! Help!" She screamed as loud as she could, hoping to get somebodies attention from somewhere. She highly doubted that there was literally nobody around. "Help!"

"Shut her up Mark!"

The man who she now knew as Mark turned towards her, running and tackling her to the ground. She cried out when she heard an audible ' _pop_ ' sound from her shoulder. She kicked about and tried her best to get back up, ignoring the pain and favouring her right arm as she went to stand. "Help!"

"Shut the fuck up Doll-face."

"Fuck you." She said, and ran, once again towards the entrance to the alley way. She barrelled into the two men who were standing guard, hoping to catch a break, but that was not to be. Both men took hold of her, lifting her up and slamming her into the ground. She let out a groan as the breath was knocked out of her. Dave sauntered over.

"We don't get many who put up a fight, Doll-face. I'm thinking that we'll keep you for a bit." He whistled, calling over Mark who had been dusting off his clothing while she had attempted to make her escape. "Get the car."

She called out again and was beyond surprised when Tony came racing around the corner, baseball bat in hand, a few minutes later.

"Carter?!" He yelled. "Mother fuckers!" He ran into the alley swinging the bat like a pro. "Let her go you sick fucks!" He screamed, hitting one of the 'guard' men in the face before the other caught the bat in his hands. Tony kicked out at the guy, hoping that he'd lose his grip on the weapon but the man, built more solid than Tony was, simply wrestled the bat from his hands without too much effort. Carter was still struggling in the grip of Dave who had a tight grip on her good shoulder and had kicked her legs out from under her.

Mark turned up in a small, beat up, five seater car and jumped out, keys in the ignition and the car still running. He popped the boot open, pulling out rope. Dave smirked down at Carter, grabbing a handful of her hair as she clawed at his arms, drawing blood.

"You really are a feisty little bitch aren't you? You should stop that, Doll-face, otherwise this isn't going to be as fun for you as it could have been." He dragged her up, Carter now standing, and motioned to Mark with a nod of his head.

Carter stepped on Dave's toes and he jerked his arm back. Figuring that she couldn't be in any more pain then she was, Carter turned, her hair twisting and pulling violently against her scalp. She buried her fist into Dave's stomach, not that effective, then took a step back before rearing her leg backwards and driving it into his nether regions. He doubled over and Carter turned around just in time to be completely blindsided by Mark, his fist colliding with the side of her head, rendering her almost unconscious.

Tony wasn't having much luck either. He'd been given a beating with his own bat. He remained curled up on the ground until he properly registered that he was no longer getting beat. Hearing a car roar to life, he looked up in time to see Carter get shoved into the trunk of the car. She didn't seem completely with it at that moment in time but Tony, spotting the nasty mark on her face and the blood, guessed she didn't have much of a choice. He got to his knees and stood up shakily before gaining a bit more stability. The car drove forward before turning, heading straight for him and he frantically jumped out of the way. He scrambled to his feet and tried his best to chase after the car. When it was out of his sight he immediately picked up a phone, Carter's phone, that had been dropped by the entrance of the alley. He dialled police.

"Emergency service: Police, fire or ambulance."

"Police. Forks, Washington."

"Putting you through to Forks Police Department." He was pacing around and nursing his nose at the moment.

"Forks Police Department: What is your emergency?"

"There's been an abduction." He gave his current location, along with the licence plate number of the off-white car.

''

The Shifters were running the borders of Forks and La Push after a local called in a suspicious car that had been abandoned on the side of the road: a white, beat-up, five seater car. It was nearing three in the morning now. Carter had been missing for a good six hours now and it was playing upon everyone's mind, weighing heavily upon their conscious.

The Alpha had been sticking to the outer borders of Forks and La Push. He paused in his running for a moment. He thought he might have, wait, he could smell her. Carter had been nearby. Embry, Jared and Paul immediately began running towards his location.

"No." He said. "Meet back at Emily's." He ordered. Paul bristled but heard the reasoning and backed off, telling the other two boys to follow after him. Sam was worried about the control of all of them, even himself at this point, and didn't want them to end up phasing in front of the Forks Police Force.

Sam followed the scent; it was getting fainter, the smell of blood overwhelming him. The metallic scent, he could taste it in the air. He steeled himself and kept going, unwilling to change back just yet, in case the threat was still around. He cautiously made his way towards the sounds of shallow breathing and immediately let out a low growl. There was a man, a man who was barely alive at the moment. He let out a long howl and waited for one of his Pack to shift. His Pack brother saw what Sam was seeing and awaited his Alpha's orders; Embry watched on, staying in his place so he could relay information to the rest of the Pack and to Charlie Swan once Sam had finished investigating.

He followed signs of a struggle, of a chase. Sam cautiously stepped out from behind a tree and Embry growled and let out a low whine. Knowing that he needed to leave and get help, Embry shifted back and ran as fast as his legs could carry him back to the makeshift base camp. Sam shifted back as well and made his presence known.

Carter looked to him, eyes blank, body trembling and with tears in her eyes. She had a rock clutched within her right hand in nothing short of a death grip. Her clothes were ruined; her shirt hung loosely around her shoulders, the left side of her tank top had been reduced to shreds, revealing half of a black undergarment that was saving her from being exposed completely. Her hair was wild; twigs and leaves littering the long tresses of her hair. She sat at the base of a tree, legs underneath her, left arm hanging uselessly by her side. Her face was coloured various shades of an ugly purple, blue and black, as was most of the skin that was showing. She was bleeding here and there; one wound looking particularly nasty and Sam was taken aback by how empty the girl looked; how lost she seemed to be. His little sister looked broken.

"Car?" He said, walking very slowly towards her, hands out in front of him as if he were approaching a scared animal. "Car, it's me, Sam; it's your big brother." He reached a hand out and was almost crushed when she flinched and made to move further backwards, losing her balance. Sam caught her, but had to take a step back to reign in his control. He now knew why the tracks he was following were so odd: the man had bound Carter's legs together; her arms too by the looks of it, but the girl hadn't gotten around to properly freeing her feet of the rope. Carter let out a small sound before she turned back to Sam and recognition flashed through her eyes. She was back with him now. She stared at him for a moment longer before bursting into tears, sobs wracking her small frame and breaking Sam's heart.

"We're going to get you all healed up, okay? But I need you to trust me alright? I'm going to pick you up Car." He gently placed one arms under her legs, the other around her back and hoisted her off the forest floor.

Charlie ran towards Sam, as did the rest of the task force and volunteers, full pelt when he saw a figure being cradled in the man's arms but froze up as he caught a glimpse of the young woman who he called a daughter.

"She needs a doctor. Now." The paramedics came rushing over, gently removing Carter from Sam's arms and the girl let out a cry of protest. "I'm right here Car. Right here okay? I won't leave." Sam assured her, sending a look to the paramedics, daring them to send him away. They loaded the ambulance and Sam gave them general directions to where he found her. "There's a man there; he's was breathing when I left, just barely though. She put up one hell of a fight." Sam said and entered the ambulance himself, taking one of Carter's hands in his own, letting her know that he was there for her.

''

Carlisle Cullen was beyond shocked when Carter was brought into the hospital bloodied and beaten.

"Female, eighteen years: trauma to the head, multiple lacerations and internal bleeding. Left shoulder is dislocated. Puncture wound to the lower abdomen." He looked to Sam, questioning why he was still here. "She won't let go of his hand. If he moves too far away she screams." The nurse explained.

"Carter?" The doctor's velvety voice soothed her somewhat and she hesitantly released Sam's hand. "I'll come and call you when I've finished healing her." He said to the Werewolf. Sam nodded.

"You've got a magical voice Doctor." The nurse said, amazed that the girl had listened to some sort of silent command from the beautiful man.

''

It wasn't too long after that Carlisle returned to the waiting room. He almost laughed aloud at the sight that greeted him. The entire room was filled with members of the Quileute Tribe.

"She's sleeping at the moment. I've given her some pain medication and a sleeping pill. Her body needs to rest."

"Wha-What happened to her?"

"If you don't mind I'd like to talk to Chief Swan in private. Samuel, you may join us as well."

The two men walked with Carlisle as he led them to a small office on that was on the opposite side of the hospital.

"Sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure we didn't have any eavesdroppers." Carlisle said with a polite smile, looking to Sam, conveying that it was for that sake of the wolves that they had to move. He didn't want to risk any of the boys shifting inside the hospital.

"Carter had the onset of hyperthermia; she was outside for at least three hours. She had ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, indicating that she was bound. The bruises were deep but allowed for enough circulation to get to her hands and feet. She had multiple lacerations and bruises to many parts of her body. A puncture wound to the stomach was cleaned and stitched. The wound itself indicated a clean entry and exit: judging by the wound I believe it she was stabbed with a small blade of some kind. She's in a stable condition physically but I am worried about any emotional damage that may have been sustained."

Charlie and Sam looked at the doctor solemnly. The Chief of Police spoke up then, asking a question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to.

"Was she….Did he?" He got out.

"The staff is unable to do any tests for that particular type of injury without the consent of the person. As Carter is eighteen years of age, I will need her to be conscious and in a right state of mind to consent."

"So you have your suspicions?" Sam asked.

"With the various injuries, the trauma to her body: it isn't something that I would rule out." Sam left the room, heading straight out the emergency exit. "It is quite a lot to take in and even more so to accept. You may go through and see her if you would like. I'd much rather have one or two visitors at the moment. I'd rather her not be overwhelmed by people when she wakes up."

Charlie nodded and headed back towards the waiting room in a trance-like state. Paul was the first to get up and begin interrogating Charlie.

"I think it best that Sam show you the conversation. Right now though, she needs you with her. As long as you're able to stay in control, you're allowed up." Paul nodded, his concern for the health of Carter outweighing any anger he felt towards the situation, making his way to Carlisle and getting the clearance to go through to the wards. Charlie turned to address everyone in the room. "Let's uh, let's go folks. She needs her rest."

A fellow officer walked into the waiting room at that point in time.

"Hey Chief. Is the young woman awake? We need to get a statement."

That sentence was met with nothing but disbelief and anger. Jared and Embry stood, prepared to show this officer exactly where he could shove his notebook; Billy caught their attention and shook his head.

"She's in no condition to take a statement and she won't be for a good ten hours."

"Sorry Chief. I'll come by then."

''

"Paul?" The man in question was wide awake and by her side in an instant.

"Yes love, it's me."

"Sorry."

"How are you feeling?" He knew it was a stupid question but he needed her to keep talking, needed to hear her; he needed to know that she was alive. Her voice was quiet and hoarse and she sounded scared, hesitant.

"Better."

He wanted to ask what happened. He wanted her to tell him, to trust him; he knew that she'd tell him soon enough though. The two of them sat there in a comfortable silence. Paul laid his hand on the side of her bed and couldn't help a smile from gracing his face as she ever so slowly inched her hand towards his, holding it in a feather-light grip.

''

"Do you mind if I stay here while he takes your statement?" Charlie questioned her. There needed to be two officers at the very least and Charlie wanted to hear what happened. Carter had refused to have any invasive tests done and Charlie wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or not. Carter shook her head and Charlie took to standing by the foot of her bed.

"Can you tell me what you remember?" The officer asked, her face relatively blank as she prepared to write. Charlie had requested that a female be there to take the girl's statement, hoping to erase some discomfort and awkwardness. Carter began, speaking about why she was in Port Angeles and what she was doing along a deserted street relatively late at night. Charlie froze when she mentioned Bella.

"And what happened next?"

"I distracted the group. I think I punched someone in the face and then I hit Dave's arm and told Isabella to run. She looked like she was going to stay for a moment but went, just like I told her. I don't know how long it took for her to find help." She took in breath and continued on, asking about Tony's health when she got to speaking about the heroics of the man.

"Do you know where they took you?"

"I remember them opening the trunk and pulling me out. There was a road and trees. I don't know where I was. It seemed like hours before they stopped the car. They stopped somewhere before that but I couldn't tell you where."

Charlie listened as she talked of what happened in the woods. She was let go and chased down by the men, they disappeared from her sight then caught back up with her, playing a sick game of cat and mouse; just when she thought she just might have lost them she was caught again.

"Now, I've got ask this: Did any of the men-"

"No. They tried but no."

"Did they touch yo-"

"Yes."

"I need you to tell m-"

"They didn't do anything more than that." Carter said in a steely tone, a stronger voice than before. The officer paused at the change in volume and looked to Charlie before concentrating on Carter again.

"Okay then Miss."

The rest of the morning was spent talking about the lead up to her being found by Sam, where the other missing three men might have been and what she had done to the man they found in the forest. The woman called into the station, giving general directions for the other officers to follow, telling them where they would find the three others. Carter didn't want to look at Charlie at the moment. She'd made it very clear that she held Bella responsible in some way for what happened to her and knew that Charlie had cottoned on to that fact.

"I'm sorry Carter." The Chief of Police said as he exited the room. "I'm so sorry."

''

Carlisle had heard the statement as it was being made and decided to take a break. There was a more important matter to deal with and he'd be dealing with it immediately.

Upon his arrival he mentally called out to Edward. His family didn't know yet of what had happened to Carter.

"Edward, where were you last night?" At this most of the family came down; all of them asides from Alice.

"I was with Bella. Why?"

"What were you doing with Bella"

"Carlisle, why is this important?" He saw a sort of hope flash through the eyes of his father-figure and had no idea what this was about.

"Answer the question son." Edward looked around at his siblings and, for all intents and purposes, his mother. Jasper was looking intently at Carlisle and Edward, reading Jasper's thoughts, was also wondering what had the doctor on edge.

"We drove around for a bit; we talked. I took her to dinner and then we went home."

"Alice's vision, the reason you were there in the first place, did any of that happen?" Edward was about to answer when Carlisle's mind conjured up the memory of Carter being rushed into the hospital.

"No." He said in breathless whisper. "No."

"Did she say anything to you Edward?"

"No. I swear I didn't…I didn't know that she'd-"

"Alice." Carlisle called out in a stern voice. "Get out here now."

"What's going on love?" Esme asked.

"Alice. I'm running out of patience." Carlisle then gritted out, his usually calm and welcoming face was anything but at the moment. Jasper tried to send some tranquil feelings towards the man. "Thank you but please don't Jasper." Alice finally appeared.

"Yes Carlisle?"

"Did you see this happen? Did you know?"

Alice didn't have time to cover her thoughts and Edward staggered backwards, as if he had been physically pushed.

"You saw." He whispered.

"What's going on?!" Emmett asked, getting a little more than worried right now.

"Carter was attacked last night. She was beaten, she was abducted and she spent the night running for her life through the woods as a group of men….." He trailed off; his sentence left hanging in the open. _"Did they touch yo-" "Yes."_ The memory ran through his head, along with the cold tone of Carter's voice as she answered the police officer.

"They what?!" Edward said, anger building within him. "You knew they'd go after her? Why didn't you call me? Why didn't you tell anyone? What's wrong with you?!" he shouted at Alice, stepping towards her threateningly.

"I can't see her; I can't see Ca-"

"I can read minds, Alice. You slipped up."

Jasper remained silent and stoic as he watched the family. Alice did look towards him at one point but he paid her no mind, focusing instead on the emotions that were being projected by the small Vampire. He could feel it, the disbelief, the betrayal but most prominent was the anger she was feeling; anger that was directed towards both herself and at everyone around her. His eyes narrowed in on the pixie's form.

"What did you see Edward?" Jasper asked.

"She heard her; saw Carter briefly struggling in the arms of a man. Bella had run off and Carter screamed for her to get help." He was going to be doing a lot of self-loathing this century. He had been so close to her when she needed him; when she needed help and was asking for it. Carter had been beaten, scarred physically and mentally as he drove around and watched a girl eat dinner; a girl who had been there with Carter, a girl who had, once again, been saved by the older girl and that was the thanks she'd received: abandoned and forgotten, abducted and abused.

"Talk. Now." Carlisle ordered the pixie. "I don't want to hear any excuses; I want the facts and I want the truth." It was going to be a long night in the Cullen household. It wasn't that much of a different situation at the Swan house either.

''

"How could you have forgotten?!" Charlie had raised his voice at his daughter for the very first time in her life. He was unable to help it though. He couldn't get his mind around the fact that his daughter could just forget that she was grabbed by a stranger or that she left somebody in the hands of said strangers and didn't call for help.

"I don't know. I just, it was all so fast and I meant to call for help but then-"

"Then your boyfriend showed up and you two had a good old time while Carter was being abused by a group of men? Is that it? Isabella Marie Swan you better give me a better answer than that."

"No! You can't blame me for what happened to her!" Bella stormed off and locked herself in her room. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten about Carter. The girl had saved her from God knows what and she did feel guilty. However, she didn't think she should be blamed for whatever it was that happened to Carter. She wasn't the one that attacked them; she wasn't the one that hurt Carter, so why was her father acting like she was the perpetrator?

Charlie picked up the phone after the fifth ring, hoping to sound calmer than he felt at the moment.

"Charlie Swan speaking." He answered.

"Chief Swan, we found the three bodies, well, what's left of them. An animal got to them. We think it may have been a bear; it's a mess up here Sir."

"I'll be there soon."

When he arrived at the scene he was almost sick. The kid wasn't kidding when he said it was a mess. One section of the forest had been painted a crimson red, entrails hanging from the trees like some kind of macabre decorations.

"A bear?" He asked as he gingerly stepped towards the scene. "How do you figure?"

"Well we think it was wolves and later a bear. There are tracks that have been identified as both species of animal found around the area Sir. We believe they were taken down initially by the pack of wolves before a bear scavenged around and finished off the rest of them."

''

"I did what I had to do." Paul said to his Alpha, refusing to bow and take punishment for his actions. "Do you know exactly what they did to her Sam?"

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. Paul must have read the statements. Charlie would have granted him access.

"You read her statement." He had yet to read what was in those documents but if Paul's reaction to them warranted what he just did, Sam was sure he knew what was in those pages. "Paul I can't just let you-"

"You didn't. I went and did what I had to do in order to protect my soul-mate. It needed to be done." He said, his tone of voice harsh, practically spitting out the words.

"You ripped them open and tossed their insides around the forest."

"And they're lucky they were alive for only the beginning of that. You can't punish me for this, Sam. Alpha or not, I will not take the punishment for this."

Sam could see Paul's control wanning. The man had a point and wasn't about to yield to him. This was new. The Alpha had never experienced someone knock back an order before and it had him wondering about the other boys. It must be an imprint thing, he thought.

After a tense moment of staring down each other down, Sam nodded to Paul and headed back to his house, hoping to forget what he had walked upon in the forest. His mind refused to let him, though, as it conjured up the scene but with a blood-soaked Paul grinning maniacally, standing in the middle of the chaos he had created.

''

* * *

 **Authors Note:** That's all for now. I think I like the direction this is going in much more than the original. I thank you for bearing with me in regards to the previous chapters and the time skips. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, I would have had someone in Isabella's class know the secret of the Cullen's the whole time. They would have contacted the Volturi and snitched about Bella knowing about the secret world of the immortal blood drinkers.

* * *

It had been six days and Carter was allowed to leave the hospital. Paul had moved her belongings in to his house up on the Rez with some help from the Pack.

"Thank you Carlisle," Carter said, "and please send my thanks to Esme and the rest of your family."

"We are just glad that you've healed well. Please try your best to rest though. I'm letting you leave the hospital but it doesn't mean you can go gallivanting around. You need to rest or else you'll pull your stitches."

"Don't worry Doc." Charlie spoke up. "I'm certain Paul and the boys will make sure she stays well rested. I'll be checking in on her too." Carlisle smiled at the two before saying a final 'Get well soon Carter'. "Are you sure you don't want to stay just one more night here?" Charlie asked.

"If I have to stay in here one more day, Charlie, I'll kill somebody." Carter was completely serious as she said this. "I really will. So I think it's best, for the lives of the people within this building, that I leave." Charlie's smile, watching the young woman walk off through the doors with her head held high and looking as if nothing was the matter, faltered. He was beyond thankful that she was found, was beyond thankful that she was alive but he couldn't help but feel responsible somehow, and after everything with Bella a few nights beforehand….His train of thought veered into a darker direction so the man shook his head and lightly jogged to catch up to Carter.

"Come on old man! I'll be old and grey by the time we get to my boys!" She teased.

''

It wasn't smooth sailing for anyone involved; Paul especially. His heart, along with the rest of the Pack's, broke each and every time she flinched away from their touches, be it their arms accidently touching hers as they walked by to the boys trying to comfort her when she woke up from a nightmare. What really got them though, was the fact that Carter tried to hide away her emotions, tried her best to act as if nothing happened and everything was right with the world.

Paul, he watched on feeling helpless. She was his world, his life, his heart and he couldn't think of a way to help her; of a way to help her heal.

"You've been handling everything better than anyone else would have, Paul. Have tonight off though; you're running yourself ragged with all the patrol's you're doing." The Alpha male spoke.

Paul didn't need to be told twice. He knew his limits and he would not risk pushing himself to the point of complete and utter exhaustion. If he did, he wouldn't be able to protect Carter. _Not that I've done a good job of that_ , he thought bitterly.

"Thanks Sam."

"She was asking for you. She's worried about something. Go talk to her. The Pack will be down at First Beach."

Paul made his way to his house but paused by the doorway. He could here Carter bustling about the kitchen, preparing a meal, humming along as she did it. He smiled as her voice reached his ears. He hadn't heard her do that for almost three weeks now and it was all the evidence he needed to be reassured that she was healing.

"Carter, Sam said you wanted to talk." He called out, kicking his shoes off and entering the house. Carter walked into the living room, meeting his eyes for but a single moment before walking back into the kitchen. She emerged, missing an apron and with her hands free of whatever foodstuffs she'd just created. She stood before him, looking up at him with a sad expression on her face as she gripped the bottom of her shirt in a familiar gesture of nervousness. He was very concerned now. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Why are you so nervous? Is someone else here? Has someon-" His questioning was cut short when Carter threw herself at him.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry!" She apologised to him over and over again, catching him completely off-guard and he stood there, cradling her to his chest as he just looked at her in confusion. He snapped out of it quick-smart when he felt his shirt beginning to cling to him, being soaked through by the tears of his imprint.

"Car, I need you to calm down, okay? Shhhh, shhhhh. I got you Car." He stroked her hair, rubbing circles on her back as he willed her tears to stop. "Car? Talk to me Baby Girl; you're scaring me."

Carter pushed herself away from him, looking slightly horrified and, there was something else in her gaze, something Paul couldn't rightly identify at the moment as he was too concerned with watching his imprint back away from him.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't…but I….." She had worked herself up completely and she felt as if the world around her was collapsing, caving in on itself and she huddled against the back of one of the lounge chairs, making herself as small as possible whilst starting to apologise again. Paul was lost; he didn't know what to do, how to handle it; he didn't know how he could make his imprint feel better or what he could do to at least stop her tears. He sat down on the floor, allowing a comfortable distance between them, well what he thought she would be comfortable with anyway. He just wanted to hold her against him and protect her from whatever it was that had her so frightened.

It took a few moments but she eventually calmed herself down.

"I," she began, "I wanted to talk to you, about us. I'm sorry Paul. I understand if you want to fight it now." He gave her a perplexed look, though she missed it seeing as she was focusing on the ground by her feet. "I'm damaged. You deserve an impri-" She jumped when she heard a low growl erupt from Paul. She thought she was damaged goods? That she wasn't good enough for him? That what happened changed the way he felt about her? Uh-uh, he wasn't going to listen to her anymore; he _couldn't_ listen to her anymore. He inched his way towards her.

"Carter: look at me. No, look at me." He ordered her. "Don't you ever think, for one second, that you're not good enough for me or for anyone, you got that? No, stop looking at the ground Carter, please? I. Love. You." He asked, getting slightly irritated. What was this woman thinking?! "Why were you apologising?"

She held his gaze this time, hope shining in the depths as she looked at him.

"I wasn't strong enough." She wasn't strong enough to get away from them, wasn't strong enough to stop them from taking her. Paul didn't need to be a mind reader to understand what she was thinking; didn't need to be an empath to know what she was feeling. He knew exactly what she was saying.

"Two weeks Carter: two weeks, ten days, fifteen hours, forty-five minutes, twenty-seven seconds and counting. You've been deluding yourself into believing that what happened was your fault?" He closed his eyes, calming himself down but the images of Carter sitting in the woods kept resurfacing. "You fought as hard as you could Car. You don't have any supernatural powers but you are by far the strongest person I've had the honour of meeting. Never, never, apologise to me for this. Do you understand? It wasn't. Your. Fault." He reached out and slowly pulled her to him again, placing a kiss to her forehead as she clung to him.

They spent the better part of an hour sitting there on the living room floor.

''

A month had soon gone by and Carter was herself again. She had talked to Paul; told him everything that happened that night, not at all worried that Paul would shift because she was there and he'd never put her in danger. She'd screamed, she'd cried and Paul sat there ready to catch her when she had tired herself out and couldn't speak anymore. She felt lighter after her breakdown; felt refreshed. She accepted what happened and decided to cry no more; to get a move on and to let it just be an unfortunate incident in her life, much like the first time she had been abducted.

Paul looked to her after hearing her let out a small chuckle.

"Only I could get abducted twice in a lifetime." Paul gave a poorly executed smile.

"I'm getting you fixed with a tracker device. You need to remember Rule 17: Don't be a hero."

She smiled up at him then, tiredly but she smiled, and giggled at the movie reference.

''

"I'm sorry but I agree with Jasper and Rosalie: Alice needs to be taken care of." Carlisle looked at his wife, his mate, and sighed in resignation. "Think back to when Carter was brought into the hospital. Being in that situation was bad enough but she could have been brought in with no pulse on top of that. Alice knew what was happening, not all of it, but enough and she didn't alert anybody." The maternal Vampire spoke loudly, compassion and sincere concern flooding her words. She couldn't believe that one of her children was capable of such a thing but now it was time to ready their Coven for Alice.

"I would never overlook her actions," Carlisle said, "but I don't know how to properly handle this situation. Banishing her will only do so much." The Vampire in question had disappeared as soon as the family cornered her, fleeing to goodness knows where. Jasper spoke next, knowing exactly what Carlisle was alluding to.

"She can see the future; she already knows what is being said here and what will be decided. Having no ties to this Coven will give her freedom to do as she wishes." Everyone in the room clearly understood where this was going. "She's a threat, Carlisle, and she needs to be treated as such."

"I'll set up a meeting with the Wolves." was the Patriarch's reply. Jasper nodded his approval at such a move and the Cullen Coven set about making plan's that involved the Quileute Tribe. The Southern Vampire had already made plans of his own in regards to the Seer. He knew exactly how manipulative the pixie-like girl could be. He also knew that the Seer was most probably in Italy spending time with the Volturi. His lips curled into a snarl. He'd protect the woman he'd sat next to on his first day at Forks High; the young woman who had smiled at him and helped distract him from the stares, the whispers and the scents of those around him.

''

The eyes of all the Vampires, asides from Jasper, widened at seeing Carter standing at the Treaty Line, backed by the Shifter's who converged around her as they made their way to the Line themselves. Carter sent them a quick smile and waved at them.

"You've probably already figured out that I know about the fact that you're all 'living impaired'." Emmett laughed aloud at that. "Before you think that I've somehow deceived you, I'd just like to point out the fact that I've known you all for three years and you had no intention of informing me because that's your business and I respect that. Please show me the same courtesy."

"How long have you known?" Carlisle asked.

"She's known from the beginning. Am I right?" Jasper questioned. Carter nodded her head in confirmation, a smile on her face. Carlisle turned to him, as did the rest of the Coven, as to an explanation. "The smile on her face when she presented us with the gift basket and the knowing look when I thanked her."

"You're forgiven for lying about how good it tasted by the way. Thank you for humouring me, Jasper." Jasper sent a small smirk her way, clearly amused at the situation and her words. His smirk would have remained had a deep, resonating growl not sounded. Carter turned to the silver wolf and raised an eyebrow, looking him in the eyes before turning back around. Edward's eyes scrutinised the silver wolf and Carter. He raised an eyebrow and would have opened his mouth to speak had Esme not spoken up.

"Dear," she said, addressing Carter, "Alice, she saw you that night Honey." Carter hadn't fully grasped the meaning of her words before the Pack lunged at the Coven. The Alpha had disappeared only to come stalking back through, human form, and grabbed the Doctor by his shirt. His voice was deadly; a low, calm tone that promised nothing short of death.

"What did you just say?" He said. Paul joined the man, phasing back and making his way to the Vampires, his sights set on the bronze. One moment Edward stood there, the next, he was missing a limb and Paul was all too eager to completely dismember the boy. "Stop!" Sam barked at Paul. He stepped back, grabbing Carter up and moving back over to the Treaty Line. He threw a wicked smile in the direction of the boy who was currently pulling himself back together again as the Coven, all but the blonde male that Carter had been talking with, backed up, pushing Edward behind them as he regrouped. Rosalie hissed at the Pack, eyes glaring at the wolves. The tension escalated, both sides preparing to launch their own attacks. The growling and the hissing grew in volume but both sides were silenced immediately by a small whispered sentence.

"What have you decided?" The attention of all supernatural beings was now on the lone human amongst them. She cleared her throat and continued on. "Obviously this changes many things for your Coven." Carter finished.

"She's a threat." Jasper answered simply, inclining his head in Carter's direction.

"So you've a plan then Major Whitlock?" The blonde male scrutinised her, his gaze never wavering from her face.

"My, my, Darlin'." Another set of growls sounded at the endearment as Jasper's Southern accent made itself known. "Seems you know more than even I presumed."

"You know you shouldn't underestimate or assume that you know anything about anything, Major." The man inclined his head in acknowledgement. "But that's not the reason why we're here today. Was Alice's vision the only reason you wanted to call a meeting?"

"No." Carlisle answered. "We have some other information that we believe you needed to know of. There are three nomadic Vampires in the area. They haven't entrenched upon the territory of Forks as of yet but Jasper believes it is only a matter of time before they pass through this way."

"Kill them on sight and take no chances." Carter said immediately. "We'll take this end and patrol by Seattle as well. You take Forks and Port Angeles." Carlisle turned to her and went to speak. "No, there's no possibility of talking things over with Laurent, Victoria and James."

"You know their names?" Carlisle asked in shock. Carter turned to the patriarch of the Vampire Coven.

"I know a little more than I should, Doctor. Names aside, they are a threat. Show no mercy for you will receive none." She said with a shrug. "Because of the increased Vampire activity so close to human settlements, am I right in assuming that there's a chance that the Volturi will become involved?" Carlisle was clearly shocked again at the information the human possessed. Before he could answer, Jasper was speaking.

"Chances are they're coming down to visit you Darlin'. I've no doubt Alice would have gone to them."

"What are the consequences to a human for knowing about Vampires?"

"Death."

"Extenuating circumstances?"

"They'd give a deadline," he answered with a smirk, "and you would have to be turned by that date." Carter smiled a little at the pun. She turned around to the Pack once again as they voiced their opinions on the matter.

"Carlisle, do they know of the existence of Shifters?" Carlisle nodded.

"However, they don't believe that they are still in existence due to a mass genocide of those that were Shifters and those that had the potential to turn. Mind you, this was many centuries ago."

"So we've an element of surprise. Alice can't see the Shifters or anything to do with those that live up here in La Push correct?"

"Yes. The Tribal magic interferes with her Seer ability." Carter turned to the Pack.

"I think it's time to shift back, boys. We've got some planning to do."

''

"Carter." The woman in question spun around, meeting the eyes of the Southern man in front of the counter.

"Yes?" She questioned.

"I've been meaning to speak with you but your Pack is always 'round." She looked around the shop and, after walking out form the counter and hanging up a 'Be back in 5' sign on the door, she gestured for the man to follow her into the back room of the second-hand bookstore.

"What can I do for you Jasper?" The Vampire took in an unnecessary breath.

"Are you alright?" She was taken back by the question. She raised an eyebrow.

"I am. Why?"

"I've never been able to feel you; your emotions I mean. What's going on in that pretty little head of yours Darlin?"

"If I asked you to leave and to not ask me this again would you?" Jasper nodded his head.

"You ain't got to tell me a single thing if you don't want to. I was just curious as to why you're feeling the way you do and concerned seeing as that I can actually feel it too." She looked around her for a moment, staring at her hands briefly before nodding her own head. If it was effecting him then she would be open about what she was feeling and why.

"I can't help feeling as if I deserved it; as if it was my punishment for what I've done and then I think, 'Is that it? Will there be more?' because I deserve more to happen to me." She took a breath. "I trust you Jasper Whitlock." The Vampire raised an eyebrow, and leaned forward in his seat, hands clutched and at the end of his knees. "I'm not from this world."

''

"So in conclusion you saved us a hell of a lot trouble whilst getting yourself into it instead." He was rewarded with a smile.

"In a way, I suppose."

"And you think that whatever forces brought you here are trying to rectify a mistake by taking you out of the equation?"

"Yes. No. It's hard to explain but I feel as if I shouldn't be here."

"If you were to leave, to disappear, do you honestly think that things will reboot and start over or magically play out like scenes from the book you read?" She nodded, feeling a little stupid. "Darlin'," Jasper began, standing from his seat and bending down in front of her, reaching out to a place a hand over hers, "it simply ain't gonna happen like that. You have people here who would never be able to forget you. Have you forgotten about the memories that we supernatural beings possess? No matter how far you run, where you hide or what you try to do, you'll always be here," he tapped the side of his head, "and here." He placed his other hand over his heart. Carter let out a laugh.

"Thank you Jasper Whitlock."

"Ain't no problem Darlin'."

"Now that I've done my share of pouring out my thoughts and feelings, I think it's your turn Major. How have you been since Alice left?" If he was going to confide in anyone, he knew it would be the kind woman who he sat next to on his first day at Forks High School.

"I'm assuming you know all about my past." She nodded. "And you know a general rendition of my meeting with Alice." She nodded again. "But nothing in between then and up until the Coven moved here?"

"Right. I just know that Alice led you to the Cullens."

"When I first saw her in the diner all those years ago, my instincts told me to destroy. Something was off but I ignored it in favour of having someone seeing me as more than a killing machine, of both Human and Vampire kind. Then she told me about the future, a future where I could reign in the bloodlust I constantly felt, to finally satiate the hunger that I hadn't been able to escape. I held onto that dream. For so long I cherished the thought of one day feeling free from those feelings. Months turned into years, years turned to decades and soon enough over half a century had passed. Nothing changed. I was Jasper Hale Cullen, the dangerous one. They tried to be supportive of me but they forget. I may not be a mind reader like Edward but I can read emotions. Do you want to know how they feel about me? Even now? They're disgusted, terrified; they're ashamed."

"You're not a monster Jasper. We Humans slaughter and eat living creatures on a daily basis and asides from protests by Vegetarians and Hippies, we still go on because it's in our nature. It's not our fault and it's not your fault. So you want a taste of blood every now again? So what? You're an empath who feels others emotions no matter how much you try to block them. You feel the bloodlust of six other Vampires on any given day and on top of that you feel hunger and thirst from each and every single living organism on the planet." She smiled at him and looked him in the eyes, trying her best to get him to feel the pride. "I don't understand how anyone can feel that way when they've known you for that long." She shook her head. "And what of Alice during those years? She's your mate: why hasn't she supported you? Why hasn't she ever brought this up with the rest of the Cullen's?"

"She's not my mate so why would she?" Carter just blinked.

"Pardon?" She asked almost incredulously. "She's what?"

"She's not my mate. Was she in those books of your?"

"You're the fifth." His eyes narrowed, not understanding what she had just called him. "First Edward, then Isabella, then Jacob, then Paul and now you." She laughed sardonically. "I doubt there will be a romantic future for Edward and Isabella therefor Jacob's imprint will never be born, I took Paul away from his intended and now I find out that you and Alice aren't a mated pair."

"You're not the reason we're not mates, Carter. You weren't around in the eighteen hundreds to interfere."

"Okay, I'll give you that."

"Vampires are much like Shifters in regards to finding a mate. Only difference is that it takes a little longer for us to recognise our other half. If we meet them in passing and soon enough they leave entirely, we'll feel a sense of longing and loss. Unlike the Shifters who meet their Imprint and know straight away that they're the one for them. Alice, she wanted to change me. She desperately tried to. Yes, I adopted the ways of Carlisle Cullen and yes I stopped assisting with newborns and fighting wars but I am who I am."

"And you are Major Jasper Whitlock: God of War."

"I most certainly am Darlin'. You need to accept that you are Carter, resident of Forks, Washington and Imprint to a Shifter named Paul. You're a part of this world Lil' Darlin'."

"I think I can do that." They talked for a while longer, sharing stories of their pasts in the back of the bookshop.

''

* * *

 **Authors Note:** I apologise for the late update and apologise furthermore for the fact that there will be a bit of wait between the Chapters from here on out. I hope you enjoyed and I will be writing and posting the next Chapter as soon as I possibly can.


	6. The Major

Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, you'd have liked it.

* * *

Major Jasper Whitlock, known today as Jasper Hale-Cullen, had found himself peace. It seemed that his God given solace took the form of a wickedly short, human female that answered to the name 'Carter'. After his talk with the human girl, he went to his cabin in the woods: a place that none of the Cullens knew about; a place that was his and his alone.

Many years ago, a young man in the midst of a war enlisted to fight. He would fight to keep his family safe; he would fight to ensure that they had a better future. He did just that. He lied about his age, he fought and he fought hard. He spent his days in the midst of battle; his nights wide awake as he listened to the sounds of gunfire and explosions. He worked his way up the ranks and soon enough became the youngest man to make Major.

By this time he had seen it all; had seen the very worst of humanity at its very best. His eyes no longer shone with youthful innocence, with hope, but showed of a haunted darkness that had robbed him of his soul. He tried, he tried so hard not to lose himself during those years and clung to whatever humanity he could. Those under his command were respectful, going out of their way to help others; putting others before themselves, attempting to show the kind of humanity that each of them longed to see in abundance once again.

It wasn't long before Jasper's ideals landed him in trouble though. He came across, what he assumed to be, a group of three women who had been running from the war. It took but a proper glance to have his instincts scream that he turn around and ride away but being the gentleman he was, being the selfless person he was, he couldn't do that, despite the warnings and alarm bells that had sounded in his mind. His kindness was rewarded with the piercing of his flesh and one and a half days of unimaginable, merciless pain. But he survived it. He was Major Jasper Whitlock after all and there was not a force that would bring this man to his knees.

The Cullen Coven were led to believe that, not only was Jasper's transformation the same as any other of his kind, but that he was a slave to a Vampire named Maria who was intent on winning over land during the Vampire Wars of the nineteenth century. The God of War was aptly named because he was just that. After his transformation, once he had become a true Vampire, Jasper felt the overwhelming need for something more in his life. He needed something to drown out and numb the never-ending feelings that threatened to tear him apart. The peace he felt when he finally took that last step and defeated an enemy, the peace his victims felt when they finally succumbed to death, was absolute euphoria for the empathic Vampire so he went on killing, reveling in the final moments of those that were unfortunate enough to cross his path or take his fancy.

He never had, nor would he ever, regret any of the actions of his 'former' self. She could understand that. For all the guilt that Carter felt for 'ruining the lives of so many people', she had admitted that there was no place she'd rather be and that she was obviously needed for some reason or another. He agreed entirely, not for the same reason as she did, but he agreed nonetheless.

Jasper Whitlock stopped his rampaging throughout the Southern states eventually though. On a mere whim, mind you. He simply became bored of the routine he had found himself following and decided to do something different. He had all of eternity so why not try something new? The land he had taken control of was more than enough for any one being to effectively and properly manage by oneself. He left it in the care of a mated pair that he had become well acquainted with: Peter, his second in command, and Charlotte, a quiet Vampire who'd been turned for the purpose of becoming a soldier.

It hadn't been all that long when he walked into that diner that afternoon, sensing something off coming from within. He cautiously opened the door and walked inside, eyes roaming the room, gaining a feel for what the current patrons were feeling when he realised exactly what was off with the little food place: A small, female Vampire stood at the bar and turned to him, smiling before she spoke up.

"You've kept me waiting." Jasper had made himself scarce the moment she had addressed him. The familiarity that this girl felt when she saw him unnerved him. He couldn't trust her.

"I'm Alice and together we're going to be happy." She had told him when she eventually caught up to him in the crowd. He had felt an overwhelming sense to kill the Vampire but instead, decided to humour her by listening to what she had to say. "Meeting them will be the beginning of a Happily Ever After. I know that's what you truly desire. Stay with me and I promise you that it will all come true." He hadn't believed a single word that had slipped from her mouth in that annoying, bell-like tone of hers. However, he went along with it all. He followed her to Forks, Washington where they met the Cullen Coven. That was a complete and utter mess.

The moment that the Cullen's set eyes on Jasper's form all hell broke loose. Jasper very well nearly killed both Emmett, Rosalie and Esme. Once the misunderstanding was explained, that being that the Cullen's thought Jasper's arrival was a threat to their Coven, the group of Vampires sat down and talked.

Major Jasper Whitlock had not been amused. Especially when there was a mind-reader and a Seer present but none of that matched the incredulousness he felt when he found out about their diet. What kind of Vampire drank animal blood? More than that, what the hell type of Vampire glittered in the sun? That's right, Jasper Whitlock did not sparkle. Jasper Whitlock, up until that point, had no idea that Vampires _did_ sparkle. It seemed to be some odd sort of side-effect from drinking the blood of animals. He was certain that, if he had been human, he would have died from laughter or spontaneously combusted from the effort it took not to let on that he was more than thoroughly amused and that he, without a doubt, had now seen it all.

Decades he spent, wasted rather, with the Cullen Coven. Decades he had spent pretending to take down animals and live a life of peace with the Cullen Coven, following and obeying and liking their ideals. He had vowed to himself that the year they returned back to Forks, Washington would be last he stayed with the Coven. He had spent so long feeling the distrust, the paranoia, the pity, the shame and he had had enough. His plan went out the proverbial window the moment he sensed Carter though.

She was a curveball he had not seen coming; she was a curveball even Alice hadn't seen. The waves of serenity, of peace, and the feeling of warmth and a promise of love and acceptance was what drew Jasper to her. His interest was further stolen by the young woman when he realised that his powers were subdued when she was around; when she was around, he felt that euphoric peace he'd held onto for more than a century. Yes, initially he spent time around the girl simply to use her. The quiet she brought with her was much too tempting to not exploit. Though he would never be able to say when that actually changed.

He had found himself, one day, looking for the girl outside of school hours, hoping to maybe see her in town on the rare days he would venture out. He found himself walking in her direction after school, knowing that she'd walk to the diner every now again to meet up with Charles Swan, the Chief of Police, while he was on his break. He never walked up to her though, catching himself and making his way back to his siblings; back to the Coven's dwelling. He had, on occasions, walked her to the Chief's house in the past. His 'brother' Edward had always kept an eye on him, made sure to keep in line as far as not attacking humans' went. That being said, when he had returned home from the Chief's house the first time, Edward had cornered him, asking him what he thought he was doing, what he had planned and why he was hanging around the sweet human. Jasper shook his head as he remembered the look of disbelief and worry on the boys' face when he realised Jasper was interested in the girl. He was certain that Edward's thoughts went something along the lines of, 'Shit. He's going to kill her.' Just for a laugh he imagined getting her alone and going in for the kill. That led to a long lecture from Carlisle and an assigned keeper in the form of the overly muscled Emmett for three months straight.

Now, Major Jasper Whitlock, for certain, was a being that had been changed from a selfless human to a selfish monster but for all that was different, for all that he was now, he was not a liar. He would say, with honesty and without hesitation, that he may have done something incredibly stupid, something absolutely insane: he had gotten too close. The bond he had formed with the human had started out as a thing of convenience that eventually grew into an odd kind of admiration that had recently started to turn into an unexpected infatuation. Yes, Major Jasper Whitlock had fallen.

He did his best, which would always be beyond the capabilities of others, to keep such a thing buried so deep that there was not a single chance that it would be shown the light of day without his express permission. He knew the Shifter, Paul, had 'imprinted' on Carter, and sure it seemed as if she returned his affections, but the conversation they had recently had somehow ended with hope for the Vampire. You see, Carter was never destined to be an Imprint. Paul was supposed to have, as Carter had told him, imprinted on Rachael Black. If that was true, and he believed it was, what would happen if Paul met his intended imprint? He had a theory and he couldn't wait until he was able to test it out. He realised it may seem callous and cruel but after so long, after the life he had led, after surviving everything that had come his way, Jasper thought that he deserved some happiness and he found it, or rather, he found her.

He knew it was a little bit more than presumptuous to think that she had feelings for him beyond that of friendship, but he was confident that there was a strong enough connection. They'd known each other for over three years; sat beside each other throughout their last years of schooling; talked, laughed, confided and enjoyed the company of the other.

He shook his head. He'd have to plan this one carefully. He couldn't leave it to chance. This was something that required time, effort, dedication. He was also aware of the backlash that would result after he was successful. He knew that the Cullen Coven would demand she be turned to avoid any unpleasant meetings with the Volturi; that the La Push Shifter's would be out for blood and that he'd have a psychopathic Seer after them on top of it all. He shrugged at that. There was nothing on this Earth that could possibly dissuade Jasper from his mission.

There wasn't a thing that could possibly stop or dissuade the God of War. Major Jasper Whitlock was feeling alive for the first time in over a century and he was ready to finally begin living.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Hope you enjoyed. I absolutely love the idea of Jasper Whitlock and had to, _had to_ , write him more into the story, though he is going to be cast as 'Villain'.


	7. Chapter 6

Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, I'd've written the Cullen Coven off as the Villains. They would make an awesome force of evil. I reckon they'd almost be able to take over the world. For sure they'd be able to overthrow the Volturi if they put their minds to it.

"Shut up! It's two in the bloody morning for crying out loud." Carter groaned as she read the time on her mobile. She begrudgingly hit the 'call' button. "What do you want?" She practically snarled into the receiver.

"Jesus Carter, what the hell's up your ass? Wait, don't answer that." Her right eye twitched.

"Quil?"

"Yes?"

"I'd like to inform you that it's two in the morning and I was sleeping."

"Sleeping? Sorry." There was a pause. "What are you wearing?" She could hear the perverted grin on the teen's face.

"I'm hitting you with George, in the face, and with full force next time I see you." She threatened, knowing that her beautiful titanium steel baseball bat would do the damage she wanted.

"That's alright with me. It's not like you'll hurt me all that much seeing as I'm a werewolf who heals fast."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you sa….. Did you just say 'werewolf'?"

"I did." Was the smug reply.

"Am I needed up there?"

"I'm running down to you baby. Sit tight and don't put out anything on."

"Quil, you're a sick little-" She looked at the phone, glared more like it, and again her eye twitched. "I'm going to hurt that kid when he gets here." She promised before slamming her phone down on the counter.

''

"No fucking way!" Quil exclaimed. "Uh-uh. I don't believe that for a second."

"You will when Paul's beating the living shit out of you for insinuating that you'd be seeing his Imprint naked." Embry said, shaking his head.

"He'll beat him for waking me up at two in the morning."

"Look, we're sorry, okay?"

"Fine. I forgive you, you and you." She said, pointing to Sam, Embry and Jared.

"Okay, Quil, you've told her over the phone and in person: I want you to follow these two back to the Rez, now." Quil pouted.

"Can I show her just one more thing, please?" The second his answer was out of his mouth, Sam knew he was going to regret it.

"Yes, fine. Hurry up."

"Hey Carter! Hey! You won't like me when I'm angry." Quil did a surprisingly good impression of the Hulk before shifting on the spot. Carter was left standing with her mouth hanging open and then she laughed, clapping her hands together like an enthusiastic child.

"Oh my goodness! Quil! You can shift on command already!"

"Out of all of us Shifters, _he_ was the first one to be able to control the transition effortlessly." Sam said, his voice clearly displaying frustration and disbelief. "Him!"

"Do it again! Do it again!" Carter would regret those words mere seconds later as she saw more of Quil than she ever wanted to. Eventually the younger Shifters left; Sam opting to stay behind.

"What's on your mind Sammy? You're looking a little concerned." Sam made his way to her.

"It's Jacob."

"What about him? Has he shifted already?" Sam shook his head.

"No. He's been spending time with Swan."

"Okay?"

"He thinks he might be in love." She remained quiet, waiting for Sam to continue. When he didn't, she spoke up.

"Look, I don't like her, in fact, I think I may actually hate the girl." She sighed. "It's his life though. I love the kid and if he wants to hang out with her: fine."

"But?"

"I know you're worried about him phasing, and you should be. She was with the Veggie Vamps at school before, you know. I'm almost certain she's using the poor boy. If you get Billy to try and keep him away from her: there's gonna be trouble. If he keeps hanging out with her: there's gonna be trouble."

"You've known about all of this from the beginning." She nodded, now knowing that the Elder's had informed Sam of her 'visions'. "What's the end result?" He said, levelling her with a stern look.

"Sam, things have strayed from the vision I had. I can't give you an answer."

"We'll have to stay vigilant then."

"You boys are always vigilant." Sam nodded, embracing her before he ran off into the woods.

''

She was, as usual, at her spot at the shop. Restocking was a bitch; even more so when people came in and put books on the wrong shelves. Having said that, she didn't mind all that much though: it gave her something to do while waiting for customers or for closing time. She was startled out of her musings by the chiming of the bells above the front door. "Hello Major. What's up?" She asked, addressing the Vampire. Jasper quirked an eyebrow at the popular phrase before sitting down in the back room of the bookstore. Carter watched him as he passed by. "I'll be there in a minute; I'll just close up."

"No problem Darlin'. I brought you a snack."

"There's still someone here. Did you want a snack as well?" Carter called back to him, laughing at her own joke. She closed up shop and made her way to the room at the back of the store. "You didn't." She said, spotting the box on the coffee table. Jasper just smirked. She walked up to the box and opened it, letting out a small squeal of delight.

"You just goin' to look at it Darlin'?" At his words, she picked up the spoon that was on the table and took her first bite. Jasper watched her, his eyes never wavering from her form.

"Oh my God." She said, her voice but a breathless whisper as she let out a moan, savouring the divine treat. "Jasper, don't take this the wrong way, but, I think I love you." Jasper let out a chuckle at her reaction. "I'm completely serious. Marry me Major Whitlock."

"There ain't much for me to say to that Darlin', except 'I do'." Carter smiled, letting out a laugh. She placed the spoon into the box with the supreme chocolate cake that the Vampire had travelled a good three states to purchase.

"Thank you Jasper." The Vampire stood up from his seat, allowing the girl to embrace him. His arms wound around her, returning the gesture. He discreetly breathed her in, enjoying the closeness. She eventually stepped back. "Now, what can I do for you today my sweet Major?" Jasper smirked at that, a feeling of possessiveness and a need to bring her to him overwhelming him at her words. He'd be her anything.

"I thought maybe you'd join me for a walk. I wish to share my past with you; all of it. There's many a thing I've been keeping to myself and I feel as though there's no one else that I could trust." Carter gently smiled at him.

"I'm honoured that you feel that way Major. I accept to accompanying you on a stroll through the woods of Forks." Jasper chuckled at her.

"Knew it would be in the forests?"

"Just had an inkling. We heading off now?"

"I'll have you back before sundown Artie." Carter raised an eyebrow at the new nickname.

"'Artie'?" She questioned. "It's got my approval." The Major smirked and stood, offering his arm to the Human.

''

"Sorry, I know you said you wanted to tell me your past but that's the version I saw." Jasper nodded.

"Well there are definitely differences to my past. The army: it wasn't led by someone named Maria." Carter looked at him surprised. What he was about to tell her would decide the course of action he was going to take. "I was the Commander; the Maker." Her eyebrows furrowed together and she nodded slowly, processing the information.

"Out of curiosity, why did you decide to join the Vampire Wars?"

"It was my home; it was all I knew. At the time, it was the right thing to do."

"So you don't regret it?"

"No, and I never will." She nodded her head again.

"Good. If you did regret it then it wouldn't have been the best decision." Jasper tilted his head.

"You're not disgusted, shocked; angry." He stated. She sent him a look.

"Seriously? Come on Major, what do you take me for? Did you not listen to a word I said the other day? Anyway," she said dismissively, "what else was different?"

"My transformation lasted a day and a half." He smirked as he saw the expression on her face. She was looking at him in awe and he absolutely loved it. There was a clear admiration in her eyes, and though it wasn't exactly what he wanted, it was getting there. Admiration would soon turn to adoration and eventually into a look of love. He relished in the attentions bestowed by her.

"Jasper?" He quirked an eyebrow as he looked down at her, coming to a halt.

"Yes?"

"You're my favourite; no if's or but's about it."

"Why thank you Darlin'." He tilted an imaginary hat and was rewarded with her laughter.

"I shouldn't be so surprised though. You _are_ Major Jasper Whitlock after all."

"And that means something, does it?" He wondered if she caught on to the fact that they were flirting at the moment.

"Everything." She said simply, as if it was the most casual way to reply. This may be easier than he thought.

''

"The Cullen's have moved from their dwelling in the woods." Billy informed the Elders and the Pack. "There is only One Cold one now living in Forks." Sam spoke next.

"Which one is it?"

"The blonde male known as Jasper." There was a growl which caused the attention of all to fall upon Paul. Carter pressed herself closer to the Shifter and looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" Paul ignored her and grunted. Carter looked back to the rest of those attending the meeting, confusion plainly written on her face.

"Are they going to return?" Sam asked.

"Once they have dealt with the Seer."

"And you're going to allow them to?" Paul asked, his anger palpable. Carter again looked up at Paul.

"Yes." Well that was a simple, straightforward answer if ever they'd heard one.

"Why isn't Jasper joining them?" Carter questioned. Billy shifted, before his eyes strayed to Paul. He was reluctant to voice aloud the reason that the Vampire had given in regards to why he should be allowed to stay in Forks, and although Billy saw no harm in having another Supernatural being protecting Carter, he knew that Paul would not appreciate the sentiment. "Billy?"

"Our recent Shifters have been kept in the dark about the events that transpired and the reasons behind many things that have happened as a result of them. Carter, we ask permission to inform young Embry and Quil Junior."

"It'll cause more problems than it would anything else Billy. Your son has been talking to Isabella; he's friends with her and as much as I dislike the girl, I can't punish Jacob indirectly because of her stupid decisions. Leave it be. The younger ones don't need to know and I'd prefer they didn't."

"Very well." Billy said solemnly. "I call this meeting to a close then. You are all dismissed. Carter, can you please stay: I have something I need to discuss with you." The Pack members nodded their heads in the direction of each Elder and slowly filed away.

''

Carter was pacing around their living room when Paul arrived home from patrol.

"What is it?" He asked her but was promptly ignored as she kept pacing. He reached his arms out and placed them on her shoulders. "Car? What's wrong?" The concern, the worry, the love, was evident in his eyes and voice. She broke eye contact with him as the words 'Not for much longer' filtered through her head. "Carter, baby, tell me what's wrong." There was an element of fear in that sentence.

"Nothing." She leaned into him, nuzzling his chest as bit as she let out a sigh. "I'm just confused. There's so many things that are different and I don't know how it's going to end." Paul was just as confused, seeing that whatever she knew was messing with her. He just wanted to help his Imprint; his soulmate.

"What happened?" She shook her head, moving back slightly and out of his embrace.

"It hasn't." She didn't elaborate but Paul could see just how much this was weighing on her mind.

"Carter, what hasn't?" She didn't answer him. She walked up to him, placed a hand on his cheek and a kiss on his lips before saying 'goodnight' and heading to bed.

"What the fuck?" Paul whispered aloud. He'd talk to Billy tomorrow and find out what the two had talked about that night.

''

"So Jacob will be shifting soon then?" Billy nodded in conformation. "But the Cullen's have cleared out. He shouldn't need to." Carter had shown up the next morning, a mere hour after Paul had stopped by and was genuinely stumped when Billy informed her that the Quileute boys were still shifting. "I'm assuming that's why Paul was around here earlier."

"He was here about you. He was worried." He informed her. "I told him what we talked about and I told him why."

" _What's wrong Billy?" He wasn't entirely sure how to go about this so he handed her a journal. Her eyes widened as they came to rest upon the embossed cover of the book._

" _I completely forgot about that." She breathed. "Why on Earth have you bothered talking with me when you and the Elders could get your answers from here?"_

" _Things change, Carter. The future you saw wasn't set in stone." She looked at him puzzled._

" _Then why keep it?" The older man sighed._

" _There are things written in these pages that have not come to pass, as are there things written that have. The timelines have gone astray and some of the events escalated in directions I wasn't prepared for." He paused for a moment, opening the pages and skimming through the contents. "You had a column in here titled 'Undisputed Facts of the World'. In this list were the names of the older Shifters." She was trying her best to remember what she had written down. After all, she was twelve at the time and that was long enough ago. "Next to the names of the Shifters, you wrote down the name of the Imprints." He could see the understanding as her face fell._

" _Paul." She said._

" _My daughter called to tell me that she would be coming to the Reservation for a week." She nodded._

" _Well it's about time she visits her old man." She gave a laugh, nudging Billy in the arm. "That's great news. Uh, I need to go home now. It's getting late and all that. Goodnight Billy." Billy shook his head as he watched her walk away, her pace becoming faster the further she walked._

"Why?" She asked him.

"Because I've known you since you were twelve and I know exactly what you'll do. You're going to do something reckless and unnecessary." Billy's gaze was stern.

"No I won't. Look, Billy, it's as you said: things were never set in stone and, obviously, this is one of those things."

"You honestly forgot all about that aspect of your vision."

"No I didn't." She immediately denied.

"Then why are you headed off the Reservation with your bike and your emergency go-bag?" She bit her tongue, refraining from making a smart-ass comment to the Elder. "What are you planning on doing?" She was quiet, her head down, staring at the porch. Billy tugged at her hand and brought her into a hug. "The Tribal Spirits chose you for him."

"No they didn't. It's an undisputed fact." She said.

"You know," he began, holding her at arms length, "you're a daughter to me. I don't want to see you sad and I don't want to see you ruin a happy ending by holding on to your vision."

"Then why bring it up? Why show me the journal? Why remind me?"

"Because there's going to be a Bonfire and she'll be introduced to everyone."

"You'd rather I have my freak out in private."

"No." He sent her a look. "I'd rather you prepare and get used to the idea that not everything you've seen has come true. Can you do that? Can you leave your 'vision' behind?"

"I can try." Billy nodded his head. "Thanks Billy." She hugged him, lingering a bit. "You know, you're a father to me. So is Charlie. I don't know what I'd do without either of you."

"You make it sound a little suspicious Carter." He said jokingly.

"What? Guess I shouldn't mention your weekly dates then?"

"Carter."

"I know, I know: it's just football. Is that what they called it back in your day?"

"Carter!"

''

"Billy, I'm sure she's fine. Don't worry." Okay, so maybe she wasn't handling things all that well. "She booked a flight and headed off to Kate's. This afternoon. How do I know? She was on her way back to the Rez when she got the call. They need her up there; Tilly needs her. She's known the woman since I found her. Paul will understand. Yeah, yeah. I'll get her to call you when she arrives." Charlie had a hand on his forehead and a hand on his hip. "Mind telling me why I just lied to my oldest friend?" Carter fidgeted under his gaze. "I'm waiting."

"Paul imprints on Racheal Black." She blurted out.

"What?" He hadn't expected that.

"I told you. I told you time and time again Charlie that I'm not supposed to be here; not supposed to exist. Imprinting was the reason I was banned from the Rez: the Elders didn't want me messing up the will of the Tribal Spirits." He closed his eyes. It was never easy, was it?

"And I've told you time and time again: you're where you're supposed to be, and that's _here_ Carter. What brought this on?" She was struggling: how could everyone be so stupid? Imprinting was a one of the things that she shouldn't have changed. Even more so: it was never confirmed that Paul had actually, technically, imprinted on her. She let out a frustrated groan.

"Charlie, do you know why the Shifter's imprint? It's to better the next generation; to ensure that the magic is passed on. I'm not a Native, I'm not from around here; Hell, I'm not even from this world! Do you know what that means? That means that everything is about to hit the fan and I'm going to be the only one standing underneath it when it crashes to the ground. This, this is Fate, not Destiny: she's his one."

"Then what the Hell do you call what happened when he first met you? Carter, you're not a stupid girl but right now you're being an idiot."

"It was a mistake! Obviously Paul hoped to imprint and tricked himself into thinking that he did. I don't know!" Charlie was starting to get frustrated himself at the moment.

"How can you trick yourself into loving someone Carter? Have you seen the way he looks at you? The way he _is_ with you? I see it every time I pass him." Charlie could see the frustration, confusion and exasperation that flickered over Carter's face. "Have you even talked with Paul about this?" Silence was the answer. "Go back to the Rez tomorrow, apologise for being an idiot and _talk_ with Paul."

"Charlie, it's not that simp-"

"You had a vision and not everything's come true. You're overreacting." Her jaw clenched.

"I'm taking a walk. Fresh air might do me some good aye? I need to clear my head." Charlie nodded, hoping that she'd calm down and start thinking properly.

"Don't be out too late." He told her. "And be careful!"

''

 **Authors Note:** …Hello? Yes, I know: I haven't updated in yonkers. I have no excuses, only reasons, and frankly they're really not good enough for the amount of time you've all been waiting for updates so I apologise profusely. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to actually start updating a bit more regularly. Thank you for persevering!


	8. Charlie Swan

Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, there would be a spin off series depicting the life of the renowned Hunter, Charlie Swan.

Charles Swan had seen it all; had heard it all. In his forty-odd years of existence though? This took the cake and fucking begged for more. He was speechless, he was confused; he was beyond furious. He'd read, reread and Hell: by now he could quote the journal word for word to anyone willing to listen but for the life of him he just couldn't understand. In some alternate world: his daughter was destined to be the catalyst of a serious, deadly chain of events. In some twisted dimension: Isabella Marie Swan would be hit by a car, attacked by a group of drunkards... That sounded all too familiar and the realisation hit Charlie like a freight train. She knew; Carter _knew_ what would happen to Bella and, despite the differences between the story she was familiar with and her new reality, _still_ put herself in the situations leading up to them in order to save _his_ daughter. But why? Charlie wasn't ignorant: he knew Carter, for lack of a better word, _hated_ his daughter and, quite frankly, understood to a certain degree, especially considering the preconceptions her book had given her.

 _The book_. He closed his eyes, thinking back on what he read. Carter had tried her best to rewrite the story and what a story it was. It was unbelievable, the shit that went down after his daughter moved to town. Causing trouble for Vampires, causing trouble for Shifters, causing trouble for herself: trouble, trouble, _trouble_. He wondered where he went wrong with Bella; his sweet, caring little Isabella. Was he that bad of a parent? Did she actually _hate_ him? From the sounds of it, all she wanted to do was get away from him and from Forks, so much so that she gave herself to a Vampire. His arms were crossed. A fucking hybrid granddaughter and the royalty of fucking Vampires and the killing of hundreds of innocent people in Seattle, and for what? All for that fucking brown-haired, little shit named Edward. What in the Hell was his daughter thinking?! Was her life so terrible that she'd willingly and eagerly give it all up?! For fucks sake: the boy didn't even fucking _love_ her!

"Fucking Hell." He cursed under his breath, inhaling deeply and trying to reign in his anger. "Okay. Okay." He flipped back to the beginning of the journal. "Now," he said, running his finger along the words on the page, scanning for the right entry, "it should be here." He turned the page, once, twice and found the heading 'Undisputed Facts of the World'. Paul's name caught his attention and he followed the dotted line to a name: _Rachael Black_. He closed his eyes again. _This_ is what had her acting like an idiot. According to her version of the story: the man she was in love with was destined to be with someone else. He was starting to understand what Carter was thinking now. Billy had called him the previous week to tell him they had to cancel their upcoming fishing trip because his daughter would be returning home. If Rachael was back on the reservation, if she met with Paul, Carter obviously assumed it would negate any feelings the man had for her and be immediately redirected towards his original Imprint. If that were to happen, Carter would be crushed. He'd read the original circumstances that Samuel Uley had imprinted and he wasn't able to fully grasp how the man had so easy been able to replace his high school sweetheart, his soon-to-be fiancée, so easily, and with her _cousin_! Maybe... maybe Carter had a point. He really hoped, for her sake, that it wasn't the case, but the fates had fun messing around with this young woman's' life and it wouldn't surprise him if it remained ongoing.

"Jesus Christ Carter." He rubbed at his face as he looked out the window. His hand slammed the table and, in doing so, he'd knocked something onto the floor. He picked it up. It was the second journal that had come down with Jacob Black that afternoon, courtesy of Billy. There was a simplistic, little lock on the edge, binding it together to ensure no-one got in. He debated for a moment but ultimately decided that, as long as she didn't know, which she wouldn't, Charlie would be safe to have a look inside. He knew it was morally wrong, but the life he saved all those years ago, the girl he saved all those years ago, was hurting and he needed an insight into how she thought; needed a better understanding about the world she once knew, the world she did know and about the future she perceived would eventuate from her world deviating from the original script. If he could understand her better, he could help her.

''

 _Dear Reader,_

 _This is, well, surreal and completely and utterly insane. First thing's first: my name is Carter and I'm not from this world. I know: say what? I suppose a better way to put it: I'm not from this reality. Where I'm from: the characters and happenings in this world are all part of a fantasy novel that, to be honest with you, I didn't like. This will sound weird but I woke up in this world, several years younger than my actual age and in the Twilight Saga. No, not Twilight Zone, but Saga._ See: Journal #1 for clarification _._

 _The man who saved my life five days ago is, as coincidence would have it, the father of the protagonist in the story. His name is Charles Swan but I call him my Guardian Angel. I thank whoever I need to that he is in my life. I, uh, I have some serious bad luck which always turns into some odd kind of good luck. You see, I was...I was kidnapped by some psychotic murderer the moment I woke up here pretty much. I didn't think I'd make it through the first night but Charlie, he came in, he found me and he saved me. He stepped through the basement doors and I don't think I'll ever be able to repay him what I believe is owed but I know of a way I can at least start making it up to him._

 _I know of some future events that his daughter will be involved in. I think I can, maybe,_ hopefully _, be able to make the course of the story run a little smoother than what happened in my version of this world. Damn, it's weird trying to distinguish if this place is just a dream or not. I can't remember my last moments in my world and I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing here. The Cullen's won't be in Forks for another four years so I'm not entirely sure what to do with myself. Argh! This could have happened to literally_ anyone _on the planet but the Fates have decided it was gonna be me._

 _I'll stop writing for the moment. Charlie's called me over to some building down the street._

 _Write soon,_

 _Carter._

She managed to gloss over their first meeting rather nicely, he thought to himself. That brought back memories though. Seeing that little girl standing there, her screams and her cries for help echoing around the dark room: it would haunt him for years afterwards and, truthfully, it still did. He was thankful to get there in time. He shook off the memories and turned to a random entry further in the journal.

 _Dear Reader,_

 _I need to rant, so be prepared for teenage angst and the like!_

 _Isabella Marie Swan is now at the very top of my hit-list. She was here for spring break and did nothing but awkwardly go about the house. She didn't try and engage in conversation and that one time I was there, she did nothing but look at me funny! Charlie, he was hoping for us to get along, I just know it. That's never going to happen though and I'm not sure I can pretend to like her either. He'll know and..._

 _I guess I just don't want to disappoint him. He's already my Hero and I guess I just want to make sure that he's happy. His daughter left three weeks ago, since school started back up again, and I don't understand what her problem is. I hoped, prayed, for Charlie's sake, that she'd be different in this world; that she'd appreciate the amazing man that is her father and not just blow him off as she did in the original series. It really does piss me off. She has parents: parents who love her! Charlie has bent over backwards and contorted himself further to make sure that she's happy. He takes his vacations to ensure he's home every day that she's over; spends no time for himself and she has the gall to say that he doesn't really care about her._

 _That man is_ the most _selfless being I've had the fortune of meeting. He's put up with me, some stray kid, for months, just to make sure I didn't end up in the Government's care…. Yeah, it's been quite a while since he found me. There was a whole bunch of legality that he had to sift through in order for me to live with him. I don't understand why he'd do all of that but you can bet my life that I'm grateful._

He stopped reading the entry, teary-eyed at the feelings that Carter had written on the pages of the book. He turned a few pages, scanning the lines, and a frown formed on his face as he read the next entry.

 _School? It's been pretty different. The education system is freaking weird over here in the States. It's a good experience for the most part. Some of the kids are decent, I suppose. Confession time: Uh, if you're reading this, don't tell Charlie but, I haven't made any friends. The kids here are scared of me. They think I've killed a bunch of kids or something like that. I've tried to befriend them but even Angela Webber, a super shy but sweet girl, won't even say 'hi' to me. I'm a little disappointed really. I guess their parents are wary of me too and I don't blame them. I was caught up in some messed up shit storm…excuse my language. It's just, well, I don't know. I've tried, again and again and again, but I don't belong here. I'm not even meant to_ exist _in this world. I've a feeling things would have been better had Charlie come in a few moments later, rather than when he did. I mean, it wouldn't have been all that great for me, but at least things would be normal for everyone here._

 _I'll admit: I'm struggling a bit. I don't know if I'm doing anything right. I'm afraid I'm just failing and disappointing Charlie. He asked me if I wanted to invite a friend over the other day and it broke me a little to see the understanding in his eyes. He's not stupid and I know he hears what the rumour mill has to say about me. I think I'm going to just have to leave…_

Forks seemed to be the stereotypical 'small town' when it came to gossip and, what they dubbed, 'outsiders'. When Charlie had officially become her guardian, during the first months she was with him, it was clear that Carter was different. He sure as Hell didn't know just how 'different' she was though but she had told him her story eventually; well, the basics of it anyway. She had been absolutely terrified as she told him the truth about herself. She'd gone and packed a bag full of necessities because she thought he would kick her out, or worse: send her off to an asylum somewhere. However, as crazy and impossible as what she told him seemed, he didn't doubt her because there was nothing but truth in her eyes and a vulnerability that had him wanting to protect her from the world. He wanted to protect her like he wanted to protect his own daughter.

 _Dear Reader,_

 _I think I can officially say that I have minions. Haha! The pups are so freaking cute and so carefree. It's a shame they'll have to grow up fast... then again, maybe if the Cullen's were aware of the effect that they have on their surroundings, things may go a bit differently. I'm sure, though, that Quil Jr (that made me laugh so hard calling him that at first) and Embry will end up shifting no matter how much I meddle. The other three though? I might be able to spare them the pain and responsibility. Charlie's aware, as are the Elders, that Samuel Uley will be the first to undergo the transformation and that it'll happen in less than two years' time._

 _It's flying by! I can barely keep up with everything but I'm sure that my plans won't be detrimental to the actual plot._

Charlie, again, skimmed over many of the entries but decided to stop and read her thoughts and feelings about the Cullens and the Shifters.

 _...He's quiet, but what would you expect? He's also got a heart-warming smile. Seriously, I knew there was a reason for him being my favourite. I just can't believe that he doesn't realise that I know about him though. Or that I know about his Coven. The shifts in my emotions should be pretty damn suspicious but as far as I can tell, Jasper d-_

Charlie physically pulled back from the journal, holding it at arm's length.

"Wait, what?" He was confused, admittedly. Reading the first few lines, he'd immediately assumed that he'd been reading about Carter and Paul's first meeting. This sounded, and he was shaking his head now, like a teenage girl with a crush.

 _-doesn't know. There's something else: I don't think Edward can read my mind either, and, judging by the glares and the constant stalker-like behaviour: Alice can't see my future. Which means, at some point, I'm going to have to answer to the patriarch of the Cullen Coven and I really don't want that, at all actually._

He understood, completely, what the consequences were of Humans holding knowledge of the Vampiric World. He'd met with Carlisle Cullen on numerous occasions during his occupation and was reasonably convinced that the Coven Leader would be sympathetic and wouldn't damn an innocent, young woman to either death or a damnation. At least he hoped. He turned the pages once again after finishing the entry.

 _...and he took it well enough eventually but when you hear the words 'You're a Shapeshifter Sammy', you're not inclined to believe it. Now imagine trying to explain that situation to the new love of your life who was your ex's cousin. Yeah, that went over well. It actually did though, despite the minor hiccup along the way._

 _Okay, so it was a slight bit more than minor but it's all good now. To sum it up: Good news is that Emily Young is scar-free! Oh, and I have some wicked new, uh, tribal markings on my back? Yeah, that sounds pretty diplomatic. Sam's been kicking himself and hasn't stopped popping up randomly to apologise. It wasn't even that bad. It was a few scratches and Sue Clearwater fixed me up good and proper so what's there to really say? Jesus, Charlie would go off his head if he was ever told about them. He'd go off about a lot of things in this journal if he found about them. Yes, Reader, that was a subtle threat directed at you: if Charlie suddenly becomes knowledgeable about all things Carter, I will find you and I will skin you and turn you into shoes._

Reading this journal seemed like a safe, logical thing to do but as he progressed through the pages, Charlie realised that his sanity was slipping and his need for vengeance was rising. He was almost certain he had turned a permanent shade of red and that he more than likely was sporting a full head of grey hair. He wasn't sure he wanted to keep going; wasn't sure that he _should_ keep reading so he locked the journal and placed it back on the table top in the kitchen.

He reached for the phone soon after, hoping that his best friend would give him the information he sought.

"Hey, this is Charlie. Look, I know it's late but this is about Carter. No, no she's, well, look, could you just answer a few questions? Please Billy?"

''

"Isabella." His daughter looked his way as an acknowledgement before heading straight out the door and to school. He sighed. He wouldn't give in. This time, he was going to put his foot down. He was sorely disappointed as the days went by and she still hadn't talked with Carter. It was the least he should be expecting of her after what happened all those months ago.

Unfortunately, his daughter was unsympathetic and believed she was at no fault for essentially abandoning Carter and quite frankly Charlie had reached the end of his tether. He had talked with Renée, booked a flight and talked to Bella about her departure from Forks and the girl had not reacted kindly to that at all.

 _"Oh, what? So you're shipping me off? You're the one that always said you wanted me to live with you. What happened to that? What happened to always having a place here? Huh? Is it because Carter's the_ perfect _daughter; the one you always wished you could have had?"_

Needless to say, she was unimpressed.

 _"Do you really think she's going to stick around in this Hell hole too? She'll leave you eventually as well. Then what are you going to do? Call up your actual daughter and hope she forgives you? Well, I won't! I see now why Mum left you. It wasn't_ just _Forks: it was you! I_ hate _you Charles. Have a nice life."_

It was awkward when she came back from school that afternoon. In her angry tirade, she had forgotten that there was still another five days before she actually left Washington. Needless to say Charlie didn't even attempt to talk with his daughter and allowed her to avoid him as much as she damn well pleased.

"Uh, Charlie?"

"Huh?" Charlie was pulled from his thoughts. Carter was standing in the loungeroom with a sheepish expression on her face.

"I'm sorry for before. I just, I'm on edge at the moment because of what I know, from the other world, and I-" Charlie held up a hand to silence her.

"It's okay kiddo. How was your walk?"

"Oh, uh, about that..." Charlie rubbed at his forehead when the pale figure of Jasper Cullen made his way into the room.

"You picked up a stray?" He questioned. He was too old for this. Seriously. He sent a look Jasper's way, a warning of sorts, having caught the look the boy had directed at Carter and kept sending to her when she wasn't looking. If, no, _when_ Paul found about this, he was going to murder the Vampire.

"Hello Chief Swan, it's a pleasure to meet you. Your daughter is one of the only people who has welcomed my family and I since our arrival." He held his hand out and Charlie shook it, as was expected of him.

"Yourself and your family managed to keep out of trouble and your Uncle was an asset to this town. It's a shame they moved so suddenly. If you don't mind me asking why did they leave?"

"Uncle Carlisle has family in Alaska that need him and his medical knowledge."

"Then why did you stay if someone in your family's in hospital?" Charlie asked.

"My Uncle and I had a disagreement Sir. My two adopted siblings did something I gravely disapproved of but I've never really been a favourite of the family." Charlie just nodded, really not wanting to deal with this right now.

"I'm ready." They heard Bella call down to them as she descended the stairs. She wheeled her suitcase to the door before turning around. She stopped when she saw Jasper, her eyes widening with hope. "Jasper? Wait, I thought you all left? Why are you here? Is Edward still here? Do you know where he is?"

"The rest of the family left town permanently. He's not here." Bella had tears in her eyes and both Carter and Charlie were confused as to why she was so emotional over someone she didn't really spend time with.

"Then, why are you?" Jasper looked down at Carter then back to Bella, placing an arm around the older girl's shoulder. Bella's eyes widened a fraction more. Jasper Hale was here because of Carter. Jasper Hale was here to _protect_ Carter. "You stayed for her?!" It was a harsh whisper littered with venom. Charlie intervened before this could get any more awkward and before someone got hurt, namely his daughter.

"Okay, that's enough. Carter, I'm dropping Bella off at the airport. Feel free to stay the night but I think going back to Paul would be the best option right now. He knows how to cheer you up, and if he fails, then the other boys will. Especially the Troublesome Trio." He then nodded briefly to the blonde male. "Jasper." He simply said as a way of acknowledging the boys existence. "Come on Bella."

"He wants me dead." Jasper said once the door was closed.

"Shame someone beat him to it, aye?" There was a moments silence before they both laughed. "Thank you for redirecting me back home Major."

"The only place I want you lost is in my eyes, Darlin'." She laughed again.

"Smooth, Major, real smooth."

"If you run your hands under my shirt I'm sure you'll find somethin' smoother."

"Okay, okay, enough. Now what are you doing for the rest of the night?"

"I'll find something to do." He said with a smirk and then he was gone. Carter shook her head. That man had been trying to flirt with her their entire walk back and she was surprised that the Major had such a mode. It took her completely by surprise. She let out a sigh. Charlie was right though, she needed to go back to the Pack, back to Paul, if not to explain herself, then to just let him know that she was unharmed.

''

"Jesus Carter! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Quil exclaimed.

"We caught the scent of the blonde Vampire by the border, mingled with your scent. Want to explain that?" Sam said, his voice nothing but demanding.

"I went for a walk and got lost."

"In the middle of the night? You think we've been worrying about you? You should see Paul. He's going out of his Goddamn mind Carter! Do you not think? Seriously, is this a game for you? There's more out there than just the Cullen." Carter shrunk back, obviously not having expected this kind of a reaction.

"Hey, Sam, chill. You're scaring her." Quil attempted to reign Sam in.

"Scaring her? Fucking good! She should be scared." Okay, Carter was officially becoming terrified. What had Sam so frantic? "Now get. Back. Home!" He roared and Carter bolted as fast and as far away as she could.

What the Hell had happened?

''

 **Authors Note:** Hi! I know it's short, and I know it's been a good what, year maybe (?), but here's a little Chapter for you! Hope you enjoyed.


	9. Chapter 7

Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, there's just so much that would be different. Hell, I may have even incorporated zombies into the mix. Why not, aye?

Carter was very hesitant about walking out of Jacob's room, let alone Billy's house. Of course, having the absolute shit scared out of her by Sam, she had legged it to the only place she could think of. As much as she loved Paul, if he was in any kind of mood like Sam's, she didn't want to be near him so Billy's seemed like the logical place to go. The older Black was understanding of her situation, and though he may not have agreed with every decision she'd ever made, he was level-headed and saw it from her perspective, acknowledging her thoughts and feelings in any given moment. It didn't hurt that he also knew of her fears about Paul 'reprinting' (as she'd jokingly dubbed it) on Rachael.

"You're going to have to come out some day Carter. It's better to face the situation now."

"Billy, you didn't hear Sam last night." Billy had been more than a little shocked when Carter had turned up at his door, banging on it frantically and practically diving for both him and his son the night before. Jacob, not having phased yet, was completely confused and anticipating the story behind Carter's late night visit before being promptly excused from the dining room by his father as she proceeded to explain exactly what had gone on.

"How about you have a bath and we'll talk about this over breakfast then?" He offered. She cracked the door open and looked at him. Her eyes were still puffy and red and he could see that she didn't sleep all too well the night before.

"Really?"

"Really." She nodded, opening the door and praying that none of the Pack were waiting to snatch her from the house. Billy wheeled away, waiting patiently as Jacob assisted him with making some food.

"Dad?" Billy sighed, knowing his son had eavesdropped on their conversation.

"What is it son?" Not paying particular attention to his son, hoping to play it all off as nothing.

"What did Sam do to her?"

"He didn't do anything. This is all just a big misunderstanding." Billy told him. Jacob hit the kitchen bench, his back to his father. He had all of Billy's attention now.

"I'm not stupid Dad." Jacobs fists were clenched and his head was lowered. The boy had been harbouring a grudge against the Uley man since his best friends up and left him to join his gang. "I was there, I let her in and she was _not_ alright. I heard you two talking and that man _is_ involved with this. What did he do to Carter?" Billy was watching his son's movements like a hawk.

"Jacob, calm down." His son chose to ignore him. "Jacob! Look at me." Jacob turned around, anger evident on his face. "I know you don't want to hear this, but it's none of your business. Carter had gotten herself worked up last night and had spooked herself, that's all."

"That's bullshit Dad." Billy gave his son a look at hearing the explicative from his mouth. "You didn't hear her crying last night. You didn't hear her apologising. Jesus, Dad, I haven't seen her this worked up since that time she went missing!" Billy pursed his lips. The younger boys still didn't know about Carter's ordeal, only that she had disappeared for a couple of weeks only to show up out of the blue as if nothing happened.

"I won't tell you twice son. Now leave it be." Billy warned him, hoping that his son would eventually just leave well enough alone. He groaned in frustration as the front door slammed.

''

"Hey Carter?" The knocks on the door had been soft and, smiling at the consideration of the younger man, Carter invited him in.

"Hey Jacob. 'Sup, pup?"

"Did you, uh, wanna hang out today or something?"

"What are you working on?"

"Oh, you know: this and that." He was almost certain that she'd say no but an ear-splitting grin formed on his face as she stood from the bed and shrugged on a jacket.

"Well then: let's go bro." He happily opened the door for her and the two made their way to the shed.

"So how have you been Car?" She looked at him, suspicion clear in her gaze.

"We going to have a heart to heart now Jacob? Aren't you worried the rest of the Troublesome Trio will walk in?" Jacob tensed at the mention of his former friends and Carter was genuinely confused until the boy spoke.

"Troublesome Trio? More like Traitorous Twins." His expression was one of anger and resentment. "You've seen more of them the last two days then I have in two months. Why are they with Uley and his gang?" Oh, right. She'd forgotten about that: the whole 'my friends abandoned me to join the steroid using, Uley gang' thing. "Why were you crying? What the Hell did Sam do to you Carter?" His questions were nothing short of a barrage as he kept them going. "Are they part of it too? Are they hurting you? Have they touched you? If they've laid a hand on any part of you Carter, I swear, I'll kill them." He stopped, taking in deep breaths as soon as Carter's hand had come into contact with his chest.

"Jacob, calm down. Please?" He nodded, doing as she asked.

"Sorry Car. It's just-"

"I know. But it's okay. Look, I was just having a bit of a panic attack last night and I'm sorry if I scared you and made you worry. I-" she raised a hand when she saw Jacob's mouth move to say something, "was being my silly old self and I appreciate the concern but I'm a big girl and I can deal with my own problems." Jacob begrudgingly accepted what she'd said and moved to the workbench, grabbing various bits and bobs that he'd need.

''

Hours passed them by as they sat: Jacob working on a car motor as Carter played assistant. They alternated between light conversation and comfortable silence and by the time the sun had begun setting, the two made their way back to the house.

"How long are you staying?" Carter shrugged.

"I should probably go back to my place."

"You don't sound as if you want to. Is Paul part of it too?" He was trying his best but he really could not drop it. He needed to know if the woman, who'd become another sister to him, was going to be alright.

"Jacob," she smiled softly at him, "there's just so much that you don't know. Please, try to keep your innocence for as long as you can. I never want to see you lose that smile, okay?" Without waiting for a reply, she ruffled his long hair and made her way to the room. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

''

"Well that didn't happen, that didn't happen," Carter pulled a face as she tore out another page, "and thank everybody _that_ didn't fucking happen. The cruellest thing Isabella ever did was name her first-born child fucking Renesmée." She was currently seated on the living room floor of the house belonging to the Forks Police Chief, papers scattered around her as she dissected everything she had ever written, hoping to come to some sort of understanding in regards to what might have the Alpha so on edge. So far, she concluded that: a) it couldn't be the nomad Vampires because they were dead, b) it couldn't be a new born army attack because they didn't exist and c) it couldn't have anything to do with the Cullen's and a possible breech of the Treaty because they no longer resided in _fucking Forks_! She let out a cry of frustration as she threw another page at the ground, completely fed up with life as the paper made a sharp descent and the corner of the page made its way into her eye. She _was_ crying now and that was the scene that Charlie walked in on.

"Ca-Carter? Are, are you alright? What's wrong?" He was more confused than he was concerned at this point but only because he concluded that there wasn't any danger. "Hey, hey, hey. Calm down. Why are you crying? What's all this?" She looked up at him and a new wave of frustration hit her, prompting her to continue with the tears.

"I-I-I just ca-can't figure it out! Wha-what the fuck is g-g-going on Charlie?!" He couldn't help but give an awkward shrug, hoping that the answer to her question would show up right now. "It's all going to Hell and t-the best thing I-I-I've got? Even the fucking pa-pag-pages I wrote on d-d-don't want to comply."

"Jesus, Carter, what is all this?"

"This is everything that shou-should have happened; this is t-t-the world wit-without Car-Carter."

"You need to sleep." Was the only thing Charlie could think of at that moment. "Come on: up you go." He helped her to the top of the stairs, guiding her gently to her room. "We'll talk in the morning Car."

The next morning Carter sat there, across from Charlie, as he handed her paper after paper, re-reading its contents and letting out scoffs and grunts of disapproval as he went.

"It's something alright." He looked up at her with a small smile. "Was there any version where my daughter uses her brain?" Carter chuckled along with him at that. She knew for a fact that Charlie was hoping Isabella would turn a new leaf but that just wasn't so. "Everything that happened in this book, Carter, seems very similar to a few situations that you found yourself in." She raised an eyebrow. "So what I want to know, above everything, was why you thought it would be a good idea, at all, to go and put yourself in the situation instead. Whether it was accidental or not. You do realise that you're important to me as well right? You're my daughter. You were willing to trade places, to trade _your_ life, for someone who would readily step aside and let you. Don't get me wrong: she's my family, my blood, but for what it's worth, for what counts, so are you. Explain this to me, everything, and don't leave a single thing out young lady. Understand?" Carter nodded.

It took a good three hours for Carter to tell him everything that happened and Charlie played his part well, pretending to be hearing it for the first time. He asked questions, got visibly angry when appropriate (though that wasn't really an act at all) and offered comfort for her when she had finally finished the story.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Like an emotional moron." Charlie chuckled at her.

"I'm guessing that was the story all about how your life got flipped, turned upside down?" Carter looked at Charlie in disbelief before bursting out laughing.

"Charlie! You did _not_ just try and rap the Fresh Prince theme!" He smiled at her, happy to see her in good spirits again.

"It's good to have you back kid. Now, the real question is: what are you going to do? This world is different to how you thought it would be; has changed from what you know. Again, honey, nothing is written in stone. You should have realised that by now."

"You know, if you got any wiser you'd sprout wings and start going 'hoot'?" She shook her head. "I used to believe that subtly interfering would actually help. I used to believe that everything happens because it needs to. My thoughts are all over the place and there's just so much guilt."

"Well, how about we start with the facts? Number One: You're Carter Swan: the eldest daughter of the Forks Police Chief. Two: No matter what happens, you have me, you have your soulmate _and_ an entire tribe of people who care about you. Want to continue?"

"Number Three: Charlie Swan is the greatest father in the world and I love him." She pecked his cheek and hugged the man. "Also, this conversation has given me a giant ego boost. I think they should name a country after me, or at least unveil a statue that reflects my Goddess like qualities." She went to walk upstairs when Charlie called out to her.

"Hey, sweetheart?"

"Yes?"

"I love you too." Carter smiled back at the man who saved her life. "Sweet dreams kiddo."

"You too," she ascended the stairs, "Dad."

''

 _Meanwhile, on the Reservation_

Samuel Uley would like to think of himself as a just and reasonable being. Since his change, he had shouldered _so much_ responsibility. He had an imprint, a wife, to take care of, he had a Tribe to protect but what seemed to constantly test his patience was the responsibility of being Alpha to a pack of shapeshifting, younger men… and the imprints that came along with them. One in particular.

Sam thought back to the night before: finally finding Carter, losing his patience with her and, of course, seeing the genuine fear in her eyes as she ran away from him as if she truly was afraid of him. That got him. He tried to excuse his actions. He wasn't sorry for what he said, wasn't sorry for the way he said it either. She needed to know that this wasn't a game. She had risked her life a handful of times and, without seeming to consider it, she had risked his Beta's life, his _brother's_ life by extension. Paul was an absolute wreck at the moment and it was effecting the Pack. No one was able to piece together Carter's sudden mood change, her odd choices or her new company. He shook his head, not wanting to even think about the blood-sucking shadow that she had acquired.

The point was: Carter needed to stop with the self-pity. She needed to get over whatever it was that had been affecting her and he hoped that the desperation in his voice last night would sink in and that she'd wake up to herself and let the Pack in, and if not the Pack, then at the very least Paul. He had been with her through her roughest moments and to have him being brushed aside didn't sit well.

On top of all of that, the girl was spending her time in close proximity with Jacob Black, rightful Alpha to the Quileute Pack and soon to be Shifter. If she were to be near him when Jacob finally phased… He let out a heavy sigh. This was a recipe for disaster and Sam wasn't sure if everyone would survive the upcoming fallout.

''

 **Authors Note:** Heeeeeellllllooooo (hellllooooo, hellllooooo, hellooo) *Echoes continue around the vast expanse of nothingness* I'd like to formally inform you all that I am back! I'm terribly sorry for not updating but I had major writer's block (and if we're being completely honest: I got side tracked with another few fanfiction stories that I'm writing). Here's to hoping that this becomes a regular thing again… updating, that is. Hope you all enjoyed! Things are going to get a little more intense in the upcoming chapters. Thank you all, as usual, for sticking by this story. Stay tuned, my lovelies!


	10. The Cullens

Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, Jacob would not have had any interactions with Bella, asides from polite small talk whenever he dropped Billy down to Charlie's. He would have found a nice girl his age and wouldn't have imprinted on a hybrid baby. I'd rather have him paired with Charlie than *shudders* Renesmée.

Carlisle Cullen had a problem, and that problem came in the form of a pixie-like Vampire that he once called 'daughter'. In hindsight, he should have had this down as a possibility: a power such as hers, being able to see the future based upon decisions made, should have been monitored more closely. He hadn't thought the girl to be selfish, hadn't thought that her 'visions' could be manipulated in order for her to have her way and was utterly ashamed at the stupidity and naivety that he had displayed. He had worked so hard, for _so long_ , and now his efforts were deteriorating before his very own eyes.

Things would have been that little bit easier if they'd had the God of War with them, that was for sure, though.

 _The Cullen Coven had just returned to their house, after having a meeting with the Shifter's of La Push and, much to their surprise, Carter._

" _That little, filthy, lying human needs to die." Hissed Rosalie._

" _Whoa, babe, calm down. She's our friend. You like her, remember?" Rosalie just snarled, completely resolute that Carter needed to die._

" _You won't be going anywhere near her, Rosalie, so be quiet." She whipped around to growl at Jasper._

" _What? Are you going to stop me?" She looked ready to pounce at him and Emmett was becoming nervous. He took a step forward, in front of his mate. A subtle, protective stance that Jasper didn't bat an eye lid at._

" _I'll destroy you." He stated simply. He was at ease, hell, this was probably the closest he felt to being at home. There was going to be a war, there was going to be chaos; death and Jasper could not_ wait _until he could join in on the action again._

" _You're disgusting. What's wrong with you?" Edward asked him. He shrugged. "What? You honestly can't wait to track down and Alice and kill her."_

" _Can't deny it. Got it in one, Eddy-boy." He had a lazy smirk upon his face that seemed to irritate the bronze-haired boy._

" _Please, everybody just calm down." Esme pleaded._

" _We need to find Alice before she does something incredibly selfish and stupid." Carlisle declared. "She'd have gone to Alaska, for certain. The Denali's would have spoken with her, maybe hinted at ways to see the Volturi."_

" _Italy's the game plan then?" Jasper asked. "Can't say I wanna be part o' that." He straightened his posture. "Let them come to us. It'll be our territory and our terms. An ambush would be easily set. They wouldn't survive the first minute."_

" _We don't want to kill the Volturi." Carlisle said. "We want Alice."_

" _I'll deal with her myself. That way I'm gonna know it's done right. Ain't leavin' that one up to you lot: you'll let her live."_

" _You were with her for decades: don't you feel any remorse about what you're planning to do?" Edward asked, disgusted by the man's bloodlust. Jasper's thoughts were of nothing but war and the feeling of elation he gained when he made a kill._

" _I had nothin' to do and nowhere to be. I do now. She ain't making it past the next week." Carlisle wasn't surprised by this and Edward concentrated on the Doctor's thoughts as well._

" _I'll go to the Volturi alone. They can be reasoned with."_

" _Why are we waiting here?" Emmett asked._

" _Carter's protected by the Quileute Tribe. There's no reason for any of us to stay near Forks." Edward chimed in. Jasper turned sharply, eyeing Rosalie with his lip curled into a half-snarl. He remained eyeing her until she spoke what she was feeling._

" _Those mangy mutts won't stand a chance against the Volturi." She said with a smug smile. "Our problem will be solved."_

" _Best reign in that wife of yours, Emmett, else you ain't gonna have a mate much longer." Jasper warned. Emmett was getting sick of Rosalie's attitude himself, if he was being honest. Rosalie just couldn't seem to control herself though, and before Edward could warn anyone about what she was thinking of doing, Rosalie had crouched down, growling and preparing to attack Jasper. She was gone within a blink of the eye. With a speed that the Cullen's were unaware he possessed, Jasper had run to Rosalie, picked her up by the throat and had slammed her into living room floor with such force that there was now a crater. He then promptly picked her up and threw her across the house, not even bothering to care about Emmett, who had come to his mate's aid, as he picked the massive man up as well and sent him in the same direction as his wife._

" _Jasper." Carlisle said sternly. The Doctor was shielding Esme away from the irate Vampire and Edward wasn't entirely sure what to do with himself._

" _You thought you knew what I was capable of," he started circling the three, "but I'd bet everything that you don't know the half of it at the moment." His accent had taken over; the sweet Southern charm spilling threats that he would gladly follow through with. "If you want to leave with your lives and limbs, I suggest you don't provoke me. I'm not gonna hesitate in ripping ya'll to shreds and burning down this forest, along with this house. Understand?"_

" _He's not bluffing." Edward assured. He had to ask, though, or at least try to find out, why his brother was acting like this._

" _You never accepted me into your Coven. You know my reputation, what it means to have me here. You've been safe, harbouring the God of War in your house and home. I didn't_ feel _anything but contempt and a begrudging need to keep me here. Don't patronise me with your words."_

" _We've done nothing but love you, Jasper." Esme said, truly believing what she said._

" _You tell the truth. The rest of the Coven, however? Not so much." Jasper Whitlock was done with being civil; was done with the Cullen Coven. It was time stopped pretending to be Jasper Cullen. It was time for the Major to come out and play. Carlisle recognised the shift within Jasper immediately, as did Edward. There was a palpable aura around the blonde man that would have lesser beings running in fear. "Now, listen here. This is what's gonna happen."_

 _After explaining to them exactly what role they played and how they were going to do so, Jasper left with a new goal in mind. Originally, he had wanted to end the Seers' life. Now he had others to take care of that while he got to stay behind and bask in the presence of Carter._

 _With Jasper's absence, the Coven breathed a little easier._

" _Edward," the boy turned to his surrogate father, "please, you must know something; anything." The boy shook his head._

" _She would have been keeping an eye on my whereabouts. I haven't heard a single thought from her that betrayed her plans." He was feeling guilt as much as the rest of the broken Coven._

" _Alice has played us all from the beginning!" Rosalie exclaimed. "We find her and we kill her. Jasper was right about what our actions should be." She was bitter. They'd lost two members of their family and were hurting. She didn't appreciate being played with either._

" _As much I do not condone his behaviour or plans: Jasper_ is _correct. We_ must _find Alice. Edward, you were closest with her: what would she do?"_

" _Look for our course of action, find a way to gain forgiveness and trust," his eyes widened at his next thought, "and go straight to the Volturi." He summed up what Jasper had said moments before._

" _We'll need back up; a solid plan if we're thinking of meeting with them. Honey," Esme turned to speak to her husband, "you were with them for a long while: are you sure this is a good idea?"_

" _I left Italy on good terms with them. They're dangerous though. Very dangerous. There's no telling if it'll be worth it or not."_

" _We've been forced to leave our home, we're now chasing after a future-seeing bitch: why not take the risk?" Rosalie asked. She was scared, absolutely terrified, at the prospect of having to meet the people who governed their species. She had her mate and she was seriously considering running away with Emmett and wiping her hands of the Cullen name._

" _It might be best." Edward said to her, having heard her thoughts. "This could be the end if anything were to go wrong." Carlisle didn't the ability to read minds to understand the blonde woman's thoughts._

" _I would never ask you to accompany me to the Volturi." He said, looking at each of his Coven. "In fact, I'd rather you all make yourselves scarce. It would put my mind at ease."_

" _You think we'd abandon you?" Edward was visibly angry. "That we'd leave you at the drop of a hat? We're not all like Jasper."_

" _Edward!" Esme exclaimed. "Jasper did what he believed was right."_

" _And he left us to guard some human who has him wrapped around her fingers. Those dogs are going to rip him up the second they get the chance. That's if the Volturi don't burn him first." Rosalie said, a slight bit of satisfaction going through her at the thought of her 'twin' getting a taste of his own medicine. She still could not believe that he had left them, said those awful words to them;_ hurt _her all over some bag of blood. True, she had started to actually like the girl, may have even thought of her as a friend, but the change she ignited in Jasper had her cursing the day Carter walked through the doors of Forks High and approached them._

He was brought back to reality by the sounds of footsteps.

"Carlisle, dear friend, you know you are always welcome here," the ancient man addressed, "but, we have had been warned of what you will say to us." Of course, _that_ had been expected.

"I ask only for a moment of your time. However hard it may be to believe: I have come to warn you. My Coven and I, we ask for an audience." The man giggled to himself and it took a bit of will power not to roll his eyes. Looking backwards, Aro needed only to glance at his fellow brethren. The other two men stood. Carlisle remained as impassive as he could.

"We have missed your presence, brother." The blonde said. "Perhaps a moment of our time is due." With that, the Vampire Royalty, known as the Volturi, walked the Cullen patriarch down the stone halls of their palace.

''

"It has been almost a century since you last graced us with your appearance, Carlisle. What have you to say that we haven't already been told?"

"You've been told of the circumstances with which I find myself today, correct?" Aro nodded his head but extended his hand, nonetheless. Carlisle took it without hesitation and Aro smiled down at him. His eyes widened as he sorted through Carlisle's memories.

"We were unaware that there was originally a plan for the young one named Edward." Carlisle, being as old as he was, had exceptional skill in controlling himself. This extended to an odd ability in which he was able to shield memories behind others, offering a distraction of sorts. He had learnt, after what seemed like a millennial with the Royals, to offer a certain memory, ensuring to captivate Aro's attention with it, while others slipped past the gaze of the ancient man. It was nowhere near perfected, and he wasn't sure if it had properly worked, but Carlisle Cullen was a confident man and he was, if nothing else, incredibly smart like that.

"I'm certain that, using her own ability, Alice has been able to integrate herself into your Guard. I stand before you now, as a friend and as a brother, to warn you against following her counsel."

"Was she not an asset to your Coven?"

"I cannot deny her that. However, with a complex such as hers: guidance counsellor for the Volturi Guard would not be the position she has her sights on." There was no need to spell it out for them. They'd have to be at least somewhat more wary than he had ever been in regards to trusting someone who saw the future.

"Would you please explain your story to Caius and Marcus." It wasn't a question and Carlisle recognised that he would have to play carefully if he wanted to walk out of there alive and with his Coven intact. Aro gestured for him to begin as they settled in the private room.

"Alice came to us out of the blue with a Vampire from the south." Aro nodded, as did his brothers.

"Major Whitlock: the God of War." He clarified.

"Yes, the God of War. We had not a clue as to who they were or why they had approached us, but eventually I gave them my consent to join our Coven. They both adopted the Cullen name and were integrated into society, living amongst the Humans as I do."

"Your fondness for our meals has always intrigued me, Carlisle." Aro said.

"But how could you ever give up the sublime taste of Humanity for the course, unpleasant taste of animals?" Caius asked. He could never properly understand why any Vampire in their right mind would _want_ to consume the blood of animals. They tasted terrible and never satisfied your appetite.

"Let him speak, Caius." Marcus interrupted, wanting to get this whole ordeal over with. Caius waved his hand in a dismissive manner and Carlisle smiled at the interaction between the men.

"She became family, and with her help we were able to establish ourselves properly. We had a warning system with us; somebody that was able to tell us if there were going to be any attacks, both by us and against us. We had someone who could see if we'd last long in any given town we settled down in. We used her gift to play the stock markets, to make new acquaintances. We fell into a state of complacency and that was my mistake for relying so heavily upon her gift." He looked at the brothers three. "She told you not of her original vision: the one she hoped would come to fruition. I, myself, don't know the full extent as to how it benefits Alice. Three years ago, my family moved from Alaska to Washington. You know this. The reason, however, was because Alice led us to believe that Forks would bring some form of completeness to our Coven. With her persuasion, we moved. My son, Edward, was to find love with a human girl who was immune to his mind reading. She was to be attacked by nomads, one of whom would create a new-born army in Seattle. She would marry my son and they would bring into the world a baby girl.: a baby that had traits of both Human and Vampire. In her vision, Alice saw the three of you, accompanied by the immortal twins, and there would be a fight between us. Apparently, the end result would be a 'Happily Even After' for us." Caius scoffed.

"You were fool enough to believe such a fantasy?" He rolled his eyes. "This is why you never prospered here, Carlisle. Your heart is too soft. You are much too easily manipulated by the sad eyes of someone in need."

"As I said: I've no idea what her plans were or what happened to her after the war we waged."

"Well, it seems something went astray." Aro spoke up. "A spanner in the works, so it seems. Or, would it be more appropriate to say, a 'Carter' in the works?" Carlisle closed his eyes at the woman's name. He was hoping Alice had the foresight to avoid Aro and his powers. He was wrong again. "Now, I'd very much like to meet the Human who has caused all this disruption. Alice has claimed that she is the beginning of the end for us here in Italy."

"She's under the Major's protection." Carlisle managed to reply in a relatively calm manner. Aro nodded his head. They may be part of the elite of the Vampiric World, but even he knew of the Major's prowess and what it would mean to be targeted by the Southern legend.

"How do I know to trust you? To trust what you've told me?"

"I lived with you for several decades; I am nothing, if not your brother." Aro considered his words, turning back, once again, to gain counsel from the others.

"He has not the heart to poisonous us with falsehoods, nor the heart to lead us astray." Caius stated.

"The Seer has gained influence over our court. We will need to tread carefully when we rid ourselves of her."

"She must know what we have decided." Aro let out a giggle and clapped his hands. "We're going on a hunt." He dramatically threw his cloak onto the floor, grinning maniacally. "Will you be joining us, brother?" Carlisle nodded, loosening the tie around his neck. "Three of my Coven have been watching the perimeter: if she has tried leaving the Castle, they will tell us and be in pursuit."

"When we reach them, they are to fall back. Tell them that we'll meet them in the dining hall. Let us go."

''

The extended life of Alice Cullen had come to a fiery, painful end. Esme hid her face in her mate's chest, unable to watch as the limbs of her daughter danced with a burning light. Emmett and Rosalie had left Italy the moment Alice accepted her fate, not wanting to bear witness to her execution. Carlisle remained, eyes unwavering on the embers, frozen to the spot, processing what had happened and, more importantly, how and why.

It was Edward that was affected most, unsurprisingly. Alice had shown him a future where he was loved, both him and the monster within. He had been living the last two years simply for the vision she had in Alaska. The one about a beautiful girl, laying in a meadow, smiling up at him as he held her in his arms. He wasn't sure what he would do now. He had just watched someone burn to death by the orders of the Volturi as his family either fled from the scene or watched on as if it were nothing. Edward thanked Carlisle and Esme for everything they'd done for him over the last century. They understood, they did, but Carlisle held a secret fear that Edward would turn into the monster he was so afraid of becoming.

"Goodbye, son, and good luck."

''

 **Authors Note:** Hey, so I've been inspired to properly finish this and looky here: two chapters in one day?! I know! I'm good. Somedays. Anyway, I didn't want to go into too much detail about the Cullen's problems but you can be assured they aren't over yet. As per usual, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and there _will_ be more on its way. Stay tuned!


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